Sample records for oil spill part

Oilspills often happen because of accidents, when people make mistakes or equipment breaks down. Other causes include natural disasters or deliberate acts. Oilspills have major environmental and economic effects. Oilspills ...

An oilspill occurs somewhere in the world almost every day of the year, and the consequences can be devastating. In this month's column, students explore the effects of oilspills on plants, animals, and the environment and investigate oilspill clean-up methods through a simulated oilspill. The activities described in this article give students…

... is to provide scientific support to the U.S. Coast Guard officers in charge of response operations. In addition ... NOAA Responds to OilSpills While the U.S. Coast Guard oversees all responses to oilspills and chemical ...

... deliberate acts. Oilspills have major environmental and economic effects. Oilspills can also affect human health. These effects can depend on what kind of oil was spilled and where (on land, in a river, or in the ocean). Other factors include what kind of exposure and how much ...

The volume contains individual sections that outline what oilspills are, their potential effects on the environment, how they are cleaned up, and how various agencies prepare for spills before they happen.

Several classroom activities using a model of a seashore and an oilspill demonstrate the basic properties of oilspills in oceans. Students brainstorm about how to best clean up the mess. They work in teams, and after agreeing on how they will proceed, their method is tested by measuring the amount of oil removed and by rating the cleanliness of…

Presents activities in which elementary and middle school students work together to gain environmental awareness about oilspills. Involves students experiencing a simulated oilspill and attempting to clean it up. Discusses the use of children's literature after the activity in evaluation of the activity. (JRH)

... alienation, any member of an Indian tribe. Navigable waters as defined by 40 CFR 110.1 means the waters of... made immediately in accordance with 33 CFR part 153, subpart B. Notification will be made to the...

... alienation, any member of an Indian tribe. Navigable waters as defined by 40 CFR 110.1 means the waters of... made immediately in accordance with 33 CFR part 153, subpart B. Notification will be made to the NRC... Occupational Safety and Health NOAA—National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration OSHA—Occupational...

Presents an activity that utilizes the mathematical models of forest fires and oilspills that were generated (in the first part of this activity, published in the November 1998 issue) by students using probability and cellular automata. (ASK)

The Marine Spill Response Corp. (MSRC) was created as an industry response to the Exxon Valdez oilspill. The charter of MSRC includes as one of the primary functions the implementation of a spill response R D program to enhance future oilspill response decision-making. Funding for the program is provided largely by the Marine Preservation Association as part of an annual operating grant from that industry organization to MSRC. Research and development at MSRC is considered the key element in improving the future capability of MSRC and other oilspill responders. The major focus of the R D program is to advance knowledge and the technology needed to contain, clean up, and mitigate spills of persistent petroleum products in coastal and offshore waters while minimizing damage to marine and coastal resources and human health. The R D program is solidly in place today with more than 30 projects underway supporting more than $10 million targeted for research. By the end of 1994, more than 60 contracts will have been activated, and the results of many of these projects will be published.

No two oilspills are the same. Logistically, oilspills are a nightmare because they are unanticipated and uncontrolled events. Oilspills present a threat to wildlife and coastal resources, concerning everyone from local residents to state environmental agencies and the federal government. Thousands of people may be involved in a significant…

Due to the consideration of bioremediation for oilspills, it is important to understand the ecological and human health implications of bioremediation efforts. uring biodegradation, the toxicity of the polluting material may actually increase upon the conversion of non-toxic con...

Due to the consideration of bioremediation for oilspills, it is important to understand the ecological and human health implications of bioremediation efforts. During biodegradation, the toxicity of the polluting material may actually increase upon the conversion of non-toxic constituents to toxic species. Also, toxic compounds refractory to biological degradation may compromise the effectiveness of the treatment technique. In the study, the Salmonella mutagenicity assay showed that both the Prudhoe Bay crude oil and its weathered counterpart collected from oil-impacted water were weakly mutagenic. Results also showed that the mutagenic components were depleted at a faster rate than the overall content of organic material.

After the Hebei Spirit oilspill (HSOS) in December 2007, mixtures of three types of Middle East crude oil (total 12,547 kL) were stranded along 375 km of coastline in Western Korea. Emergency responses together with 1.3 million volunteers' activity rapidly removed ca. 20% of spilledoil but the lingering oils have been found along the heavily impacted shorelines for more than 4 years. The HSOS was the worst oilspill case in Republic of Korea, and there were many issues and lessons to be shared. In this study, we summarized some of the oilspill environmental forensic issues that were raised after the HSOS. Rapid screening using on-site measurement, long-term monitoring of multimedia, fingerprinting challenges and evaluation of the extent of the submerged oil were introduced, which supported decision making process of oilspill cleanup, mitigation of debates among stakeholders and provided scientific backgrounds for reasonable compensation. PMID:22582823

Petroleum Remediation Product (PRP) is a new way of cleaning up oilspills. It consists of thousands of microcapsules, tiny balls of beeswax with hollow centers, containing live microorganisms and nutrients to sustain them. As oil flows through the microcapsule's shell, it is consumed and digested by the microorganisms. Pressure buildup causes the PRP to explode and the enzymes, carbon dioxide and water are released into the BioBoom used in conjunction with PRP, preventing contaminated water from spreading. The system incorporates technology originally developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Marshall Space Flight Center.

Biological changes have been observed in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico since the April-July 2010 Deepwater Horizon oilspill, the largest offshore spill event in U.S. history. To overcome the difficulty of lack of sufficient field sampling data for a region-wide impact assessment, Hu et al. used multiyear satellite measurements of ocean phytoplankton's “glow” under sunlight to document the surface ocean's biological changes. They observed that during August 2010, several weeks after the leaking oil well was capped, an area stretching more than 11,000 square kilometers in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico was especially green, caused by increased phytoplankton biomass. The area was greener than it had been during any previous August since 2002. The researchers' analyses of ocean circulation and other oceanographic and environmental data indicate that the increased greenness was probably caused by the oilspill. Their findings highlight the unique value of satellite technology in observing changes in the ocean as well as the need for an integrated and sustained ocean observing system. (Geophysical Research Letters, doi:10.1029/ 2011GL047184, 2011)

An oilspill forecast system for offshore China was developed based on Visual C++. The oilspill forecast system includes an ocean environmental forecast model and an oilspill model. The ocean environmental forecast model was designed to include timesaving methods, and comprised a parametrical wind wave forecast model and a sea surface current forecast model. The oilspill model was based on the "particle method" and fulfills the prediction of oil particle behavior by considering the drifting, evaporation and emulsification processes. A specific database was embedded into the oilspill forecast system, which contained fundamental information, such as the properties of oil, reserve of emergency equipment and distribution of marine petroleum platform. The oilspill forecast system was successfully applied as part of an oilspill emergency exercise, and provides an operational service in the Research and Development Center for Offshore Oil Safety and Environmental Technology.

An oilspill forecast system for offshore China was developed based on Visual C++. The oilspill forecast system includes an ocean environmental forecast model and an oilspill model. The ocean environmental forecast model was designed to include timesaving methods, and comprised a parametrical wind wave forecast model and a sea surface current forecast model. The oilspill model was based on the "particle method" and fulfills the prediction of oil particle behavior by considering the drifting, evaporation and emulsification processes. A specific database was embedded into the oilspill forecast system, which contained fundamental information, such as the properties of oil, reserve of emergency equipment and distribution of marine petroleum platform. The oilspill forecast system was successfully applied as part of an oilspill emergency exercise, and provides an operational service in the Research and Development Center for Offshore Oil Safety and Environmental Technology.

This paper presents results of a field program designed to monitor the status of wildstock pink salmon populations in Prince William Sound following the Exxon Valdez oilspill. Field counts of spawning salmon were conducted each year from 1989 through 1992 to test for spill effects o the distribution nd abundance of pink salmon adults spawning in selected streams in the southwestern portion of Prince William Sound, including streams from the most heavily oiled areas. Counts of whole-stream and intertidal escapement density were statistically compared for 40 study streams in 1989 and for a subset of those streams in successive years. Measurements of residual hydrocarbons were made from stream-bed sediments to test for correlations with spawning behavior. Adult pink salmon in the postspill years of 1990 and 1991, progeny of the year classes considered most vulnerable to the oilspill, returned in high numbers, with the wildstock spawners exceeding their parent year returns. In 1989, adult returns reflected the relatively weak run for that year with a mean spawner density of 0.68 fish/m{sup 2} in reference streams and 0.69 fish/m{sup 2} in oiled streams. In 1990, mean escapement density for reference streams was 1.40 fish/m{sup 2} and 1.55 fish/m{sup 2} for oiled streams, indicating the strongest run of the four study years. Trends in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations for the majority of oiled streams show a general decline from 1989 to background levels by 1990. 45 refs., 14 figs., 5 tabs.

This paper discusses results of field programs initiated within a few days of the spill and designed to assess spill effects on critical early life stages of pink salmon in postspill years. Samples of water and stream sediments from throughout the spill area were used to define the exposure of pink salmon to residual hydrocarbons from the spill. Mean sediment concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) up to 300 ppb were measured in oiled streams in 1989 and generally followed a downward trend toward background in 1990 and 1991. These PAH concentrations were then used in regression analyses of potential effects on key early life stages of pink salmon. Water samples taken from both nearshore feeding and rearing areas and offshore migratory areas show that hydrocarbon concentrations were from one to four orders of magnitude lower than concentrations reported in the literature to cause acute or chronic effects on fish species. The postspill field and laboratory studies of pink salmon early life stages included examination of potential effects on 1989, 1990, and 1991 eggs, fry, and juveniles. 28 refs., 8 figs., 8 tabs.

Oilspills from tankers and offshore wells are getting bigger and more numerous. Oilspill cleanup technology is hard-pressed to keep up with the problem. The use of skimming devices, sorbents and chemical agents, and microorganisms to control oilspills is described. The environmental effects of oilspills are briefly discussed.

Oilspilled into aquatic environments is subject to a number of fates, including natural dispersion, emulsification and weathering. An oil slick moves due to the inherent spreading of the oil, currents, winds and waves. All of these processes influence the impacts of the oil on...

The stated purpose of this publication is to describe some of the more significant spill incidents and the mechanisms, both managerial and technological, to deal with them. This publication is targeted for school, general public, and other such audiences. Sections include effects of spills, prevention of spills, responding to spills, spill…

... Are Here: Home → Multiple Languages → All Health Topics → OilSpills URL of this page: https://www.nlm.nih. ... V W XYZ List of All Topics All OilSpills - Multiple Languages To use the sharing features on ...

... Are Here: Home → Multiple Languages → All Health Topics → OilSpills URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/languages/ ... V W XYZ List of All Topics All OilSpills - Multiple Languages To use the sharing features on ...

A new, non-polluting method of cleaning up oilspills at sea as well as on land has been developed by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Their technique is based on the use of lecithins, a byproduct of producing edible oils from plants. Lecithin molecules are hydrophyllic at one end and lipophilic at their tail ends. When they come into contact with water, they organize themselves into bilayers whose heads all face the water and whose tails are all directed towards each other. These bilayers form particles called liposomes that, when spread on water fouled by oilspills, change the properties of the oil thereby stopping the spreading and breaking it down into sticky droplets that continue to float on the surface and can be easily collected. The treatment is said to be effective in both fresh and salt water and is almost temperature and pH independent. Another beneficial effect is that the physical change generated by liposomes in the spilledoil improves the ability of oil-eating bacteria in the water to remove some of the spill by bioremediation.

Reviews in-situ burning with particular emphasis on how it can be applied in water-related oilspill situations. Presents and discusses the use of nomograms and development of techniques cited for safe and effective ignition and controlled burning of spilledoil. Includes representative oilspill scenarios and possible responses. (15 references)…

Every year, 270,000 tonnes of oil are estimated to be spilled in the ocean by vessel operations (e.g. tank washing, leakage of lubricants) and the so called operational spills are typically associated with small volumes and high occurrence rate. Vessel-related accidental spills (e.g. collisions, explosions) seldom occur and usually involve high volumes of oil, accounting for about 100,000 tonnes/year. The occurrence of accidental spills and their impacts have been well documented in the available literature. On the other hand, occurrence rates of operational spills and the effects they have on the marine and coastal environments remain very uncertain due to insufficient sampling effort and methodological limitations. Trying to foresee when and where an oilspill will occur in a certain area, its characteristics and impacts is, at present, impossible. Oilspill risk assessments (OSRAs) have been employed in several parts of the globe in order to deal with such uncertainties and protect the marine environment. In the present work, we computed the oilspill risk applying ensemble oilspill simulations following an ISO-31000 compliant OSRA methodology (Sepp Neves et al. , 2015). The ensemble experiment was carried out for the Algarve coast (southern Portugal) generating a unique data set of 51,200 numerical oilspill simulations covering the main sources of uncertainties (i.e. where and when the spill will happen and oilspill model configuration). From the generated data set, the risk due to accidental and operational spills was mapped for the Algarve municipalities based on the frequency and magnitude (i.e. concentrations) of beaching events and the main sources of risk were identified. The socioeconomic and environmental dimensions of the risk were treated separately. Seasonal changes in the risk index proposed due to the variability of meteo-oceanographic variables (i.e. currents and waves) were also quantified.

This paper describes chemical and toxicological results of a comprehensive shoreline ecology program that was designed to assess recovery in Prince William Sound following the Exxon Valdez oilspill of March 24, 1989. The program is an application of the sediment quality triad approach, combining chemical, toxicological, and biological measurements. The study was designed so that results could be extrapolated to the entire spill zone in the sound and projected forward in time. It combined one-time sampling of 64 randomly chosen study sites representing four major habitats and four oiling levels (including unoiled reference sites), with periodic sampling at 12 subjectively chosen fixed sites. Sediment samples--or when conditions required, filter-wipes from rock surfaces--were collected in each of three intertidal zones and from subtidal stations up to 30-m deep. Oil removal was generally quite rapid: by 1991 the concentration of oilspilled from the Exxon Valdez had been dramatically reduced on the majority of shorelines by both natural processes and cleanup efforts. Acute sediment toxicity from oil (as measured by standard toxicity tests) was virtually absent by 1990--91, except at a small number of isolated locations. The petroleum residues had degraded below the threshold of acute toxic effects. Measurable polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels are, in general, well below those conservatively associated with adverse effects, and biological recovery has been considerably more rapid than the removal of the last chemical remnants. 55 refs., 15 figs., 4 tabs.

In this article, we study the use of thermally reduced graphene (TRG) for oilspill cleanup. TRG was synthesized by thermal exfoliation of graphite oxide and characterized by X-ray diffusion, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, elemental analysis, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurement. Various aspects of the sorption process have been studied including the sorption capacity, the recovery of the adsorbed oil, and the recyclability of TRG. Our results shows that TRG has a higher sorption capacity than any other carbon-based sorbents, with sorption capacity as high as 131 g of oil per gram TRG. With recovery of the sorbed oil via filtration and reuse of TRG for up to six cycles, 1 g of TRG collectively removes approximately 300 g of crude oil. Moreover, the effects of TRG bulk density, pore volume, and carbon/oxygen ratio and the oil viscosity on the sorption process are also discussed. PMID:23093418

MEDSLIK oilspill model recent developments Robin Lardner and George Zodiatis Oceanography Center, University of Cyprus, 1678 Nicosia, Cyprus MEDSLIK is a well established 3D oilspill model that predicts the transport, fate and weathering of oilspills and is used by several response agencies and institutions around the Mediterranean, the Black seas and worldwide. MEDSLIK has been used operationally for real oilspill accidents and for preparedness in contingency planning within the framework of pilot projects with REMPEC-Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea and EMSA-European Maritime Safety Agency. MEDSLIK has been implemented in many EU funded projects regarding oilspill predictions using the operational ocean forecasts, as for example the ECOOP, NEREIDs, RAOP-Med, EMODNET MedSea Check Point. Within the frame of MEDESS4MS project, MEDSLIK is at the heart of the MEDESS4MS multi model oilspill prediction system. The MEDSLIK oilspill model contains among other, the following features: a built-in database with 240 different oil types characteristics, assimilation of oil slick observations from in-situ or aerial, to correct the predictions, virtual deployment of oil booms and/or oil skimmers/dispersants, continuous or instantaneous oilspills from moving or drifting ships whose slicks merge can be modelled together, multiple oilspill predictions from different locations, backward simulations for tracking the source of oilspill pollution, integration with AIS data upon the availability of AIS data, sub-surface oilspills at any given water depth, coupling with SAR satellite data. The MEDSLIK can be used for operational intervention for any user-selected region in the world if the appropriate coastline, bathymetry and meteo-ocean forecast files are provided. MEDSLIK oilspill model has been extensively validated in the Mediterranean Sea, both in real oilspill incidents (i.e. during the Lebanese oil pollution crisis in

This study describes the biological results of a comprehensive shoreline ecology program designed to assess ecological recovery in Prince William Sound following the Exxon Valdez oilspill on march 24, 1989. The program is an application of the ``Sediment Quality Triad`` approach, combining chemical, toxicological, and biological measurements. The study was designed so that results could be extrapolated to the entire spill zone in Prince William Sound. The spill affected four major shoreline habitat types in Prince William Sound: pebble/gravel, boulder/cobble, sheltered bedrock, and exposed bedrock. The study design had two components: (1) one-time stratified random sampling at 64 sites representing four habitats and four oiling levels (including unoiled reference sites) and (2) periodic sampling at 12 nonrandomly chosen sites that included some of the most heavily oiled locations in the sound. Biological communities on rock surfaces and in intertidal and shallow subtidal sediments were analyzed for differences resulting from to oiling in each of 16 habitat/tide zone combinations. Statistical methods included univariate analyses of individual species abundances and community parameter variables (total abundance, species richness, and Shannon diversity), and multivariate correspondence analysis of community structure. 58 refs., 13 figs., 9 tabs.

The introduction of petroleum products and crude oil from ship accidents and damaged platforms into the ocean remains a significant problem. Weather systems of nearly all sizes and time scales may have strong effects on oil slick movement and dispersal. Thunderstorms, local weather systems, mid-latitude high- and low-pressure systems, tropical cyclones, and the trade winds and prevailing westerlies of the planetary wind system are all potentially important agents in the movement and dispersal of oil slicks. Currents driven by these wind systems are influenced by the rotation of the earth, which causes them to veer to the right of the wind in the northern hemisphere. Wind shifts or sudden decreases in wind stress induce circular or inertial oscillations whose period varies with latitude. Near the shore these effects are severely damped by the blocking action of the coast, causing the flow to run more or less parallel to the coastal boundary. All these effects will in turn exert significant control over the movement of entrained oil slicks. In the near-field region of an oilspill tidal currents can also be of considerable importance. Rotary currents, characteristic of open-shelf waters and effective dispersal agents of oil, arise from the influence of the rotation of the earth on the tidal current. Another such interaction between rotation of the earth and the tide produces Kelvin waves, which result in unusually high tidal ranges along the coast to the right of the tidal wave propagation. Both effects have been important in recent oilspills. All these oceanographic processes, reviewed in this talk, have played key roles in major spills over the last 15 years from the Torrey Canyon to the Mega-Borg.

This paper describes the design and analysis of a large field and laboratory program to assess shoreline recovery in Prince William Sound following the Exxon Valdez oilspill. The study was designed so that results could be generalized area-wide (biology, chemistry) or habitat-wide (toxicology) and projected forward in time (chemistry). It made use of the sediment quality triad approach, combining biological, chemical, and toxicological measurements to assess shoreline recovery. Key aspects of the study include the following: coordinated field sampling for chemical, toxicological, and biological studies; stratified random sampling (SRS) as a basis for spatial generalization; periodic sampling to assess trends, including sites with worst-case conditions; analysis of oil-spill effects on hundreds of species; statistical methods based on normal and non-normal theory, consistent with the structure of the data, including generalized linear models and multivariate correspondence analysis. 45 refs., 5 figs., 4 tabs.

An apparatus for limiting and containing liquid spills from leaking vessels that navigate the water ways is described, comprising: (a) a protective sheeting that is thin, flexible and waterproof which covers the vessel from side to side and underneath the vessel, and spans from the bow to the stern of the vessel, for keeping the leaking contents of the vessel from leaking into the surrounding waters; (b) a means for storing the protective sheeting when the protective sheeting is no longer needed, whereby the means for storing is attached to one side of the vessel and spans the full width of the protective sheeting from the bow to the stern of the vessel, and the means for storing is powered; (c) cables attached to the edge of the protective sheeting, at different points, for the purpose of enabling the protective sheeting to be deployed, and to assist in the support of the protective sheeting when the protective sheeting is deployed; (d) a means for pulling the protective sheeting from storage, for deployment from one side of the vessel to the other side of the vessel; (e) a stem sealing unit for sealing the protective sheeting to the stern of the vessel completely around the hull of the vessel for the prevention of the leakage of unwanted liquid into surrounding waters, whereby the stern sealing unit is attached to the hull of the vessel, near the stern and just before the propulsion screw of the vessel, and spanning down the hull and underneath the hull and up the other side of the hull of the vessel, whereby upon deployment of the protective sheeting one of the cables is used to guide the end of the protective sheeting, to be sealed, into the stern sealing unit; and (f) a bow scaling unit for sealing the protective sheeting which covers the bow of the vessel, whereby the bow sealing unit fits over the front edge of the protective sheeting from the top to the bottom, thereby preventing the leakage of unwanted liquid into the surrounding waters.

A method for removing oil from the surface of water where an oilspill has occurred, particularly in obstructed or shallow areas, which comprises partially surrounding a hovercraft with a floating oil-collecting barrier, there being no barrier at the front of the hovercraft, moving the oil-barrier-surrounded-hovercraft into oil contaminated water, and collecting oil gathered within the barrier behind the hovercraft through a suction line which carries the oil to a storage tank aboard the hovercraft. The invention also embodies the hovercraft adapted to effect an oilspill cleanup.

Technology has produced more effective and efficient oil removal equipment for on-water cleanup in the past five years. Much of the innovation has been to increase recovery capacity to meet the planning volumes required to government regulations. However, more than 95 percent of the spills are relatively small. Large equipment, often requiring large platforms, is not very useful and is difficult/expensive to operate on small spills. In addition, damage from spills results when oil impacts shorelines. The emphasis on spill response should address the ability of the equipment to remove oil in a nearshore environment. Clean Seas has been attempting to address this need since the Avila Pipeline spill in 1992, in which a 180 barrel spill resulted in about $18 million damage/cleanup cost.

Detection for oil pollution is an important part of the marine environment protection in maritime security. In order to realize all-weather, rapid and accurate oilspill area detection, infrared images of oilspill on the sea is processed on account of infrared thermal imaging's visual capacity in darkness and frog. The detection for oilspill is realized and the location as well as the area of oilspill is calculated. The prediction integrated model of oilspill spreading is established and the prediction simulation for oilspill area is realized by changing the oil varieties, environmental factors and time, etc. The results show that this simulation is accurate, fast, intuitive and simple. It has certain significance for realizing the early warning of oilspill area detection automatically, intelligently and quickly.

The oilspill risk analysis (OSRA) model plays an essential role in analyzing oilspill risks in the U.S. continental shelf for the U.S. federal government. The OSRA model is driven by analyzed sea surface winds and model-generated ocean surface currents. Instead of focusing on individual oilspill events, the OSRA model examines oilspill risks over long periods of time, ranging from 5 years to decades. The OSRA model calculates thousands of hypothetical oilspill trajectories over U.S. continental shelf and tabulates the frequencies with which the simulated oilspills contact the geographic boundaries of designated natural resources within a specified number of days after the simulated spill events. As a result of a three-year effort, the model was completely updated and improved to meet the new challenges in the oilspill risk analyses. The updated OSRA model is more efficient in terms of computational time, is capable of producing results that are consistent with our previous analyses, and is more user-friendly by incorporating GIS tools. The combination of code parallelization, code optimization, and I/O optimization has greatly improved the computational efficiency. Applying the model to the Gulf of Mexico using 15 years of ocean currents and winds, we find that the newly improved OSRA model can provide important information on the behavior of oilspills more accurately and efficiently. The Deepwater Horizon oilspill is unique and unprecedented in the Gulf of Mexico. Approximated 4.9 million barrels of oil were spilled into the U.S. water. The statistical patterns and results from the OSRA model are being compared with the Deepwater Horizon oilspill. Findings from this study will help in assessing the oilspill risks in the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oilspill contaminated about 1,500 miles of Alaska`s coastline. It killed birds, mammals, and fish, and disrupted the ecosystem in the path of the oil. The Exxon Valdez Restoration Plan provides long-term guidance for restoring the resources and services injured by the oilspill. It contains policies for making restoration decisions and describes how restoration activities will be implemented.

When a dispersant is applied to an oil slick, its effectiveness in dispersing the spilledoil depends on various factors such as oil properties, wave mixing energy, temperature of both oil and water, and salinity of the water. Estuaries represent water with varying salinities. In...

This paper reports that the threat of oilspills is growing with the increasing use of larger tankers, the expansion of offshore oil exploration, and-as was demonstrated recently in the Persian Gulf-the dangers of war and terrorism. Aware of the environmental havoc that massive spills can cause, engineers are working hard to devise effective methods of scooping oil from the water's surface and cleaning contaminated shorelines. Techniques are being developed, which combine mechanical, chemical, and biological processes to contain spills.

To provide tactical information during an oilspill, TRW developed Remote OilSpill Sensing System (ROSSS). It is an integrated system of airborne sensors for rapid in-situ surveillance and a ground system that provides data analysis and display support at the spill cleanup command center. It provides knowledge of precise location of oilspill and produces timely updates, which are critical for effective spill containment and cleanup operations. It is capable of distinguishing where the bulk of spill exists, which is key to directing cleanup efforts for maximum efficiency. Using a passive microwave radiometric imager as the primary sensor, it provides data acquisition capabilities in both day and night and through haze, fog, and light ram. The high-speed air-to-ground telemetry link permits timely delivery of surveyed data from the spill site to the ground system to aid in the planning and assessment of cleanup strategies. ROSSS has been in service since November, 1992, ready to respond in any oilspill emergencies along the U.S. West Coast. 9 refs., 4 figs.

Previous oil containment booms have an open top that allows natural gas to escape, and have significant oil leakage due to wave action. Also, a subsea pyramid oil trap exists, but cannot move relative to moving oil plumes from deepsea oil leaks. The solution is to have large, moveable oil traps. One version floats on the sea surface and has a flexible tarp cover and a lower weighted skirt to completely entrap the floating oil and natural gas. The device must have at least three sides with boats pulling at each apex, and sonar or other system to track the slowly moving oil plume, so that the boats can properly locate the booms. The oil trap device must also have a means for removal of the oil and the natural gas. A second design version has a flexible pyramid cover that is attached by lines to ballast on the ocean floor. This is similar to fixed, metal pyramid oil capture devices in the Santa Barbara Channel off the coast of California. The ballast lines for the improved design, however, would have winches that can move the pyramid to always be located above the oil and gas plume. A third design is a combination of the first two. It uses a submerged pyramid to trap oil, but has no anchor and uses boats to locate the trap. It has ballast weights located along the bottom of the tarp and/or at the corners of the trap. The improved floating oil-spill containment device has a large floating boom and weighted skirt surrounding the oil and gas entrapment area. The device is triangular (or more than three sides) and has a flexible tarp cover with a raised gas vent area. Boats pull on the apex of the triangles to maintain tension and to allow the device to move to optimum locations to trap oil and gas. The gas is retrieved from a higher buoyant part of the tarp, and oil is retrieved from the floating oil layer contained in the device. These devices can be operated in relatively severe weather, since waves will break over the devices without causing oil leaking. Also, natural

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development entered into a cooperative agreement with the Exxon Company to initiate a bioremediation study as part of an effort to clean up oil on the shorelines of Prince William Sound, Alaska. The presence of oil...

Presents an exciting way to acquaint students with current methods to clean up oilspills. Students also have the freedom to create new clean-up methods as they think through the problem and experiment to find effective solutions. (PR)

An EOCAP project led Research Planning, Inc. to the development of advanced techniques for "environmental sensitivity" oilspill mapping. The new method incorporates satellite remote sensing and GIS technologies and was utilized to assess the damage potential of the Gulf war oilspill. EOCAP provides government co-funding to encourage private investment in, and to broaden the, use of, NASA-developed technology for analyzing information about Earth and ocean resources.

EPA is developing a model called the EPA Research Object-Oriented OilSpill Model (ERO3S) and associated databases to simulate the impacts of dispersants on oil slicks. Because there are features of oil slicks that align naturally with major concepts of object-oriented programmi...

In the wake of the Exxon Valdez oilspill, a task force representing America's oil industry set about studying the existing resources across the nation for responding to catastrophic oilspills. In June 1989 the task force reported that the capability did not exist in either government or industry to respond to a spill the magnitude of the one in Alaska. As a result of task force recommendations, 20 companies began the process that led to the creation of both the Marine Preservation Association (MPA) and the Marine Spill Response Corp. (MS-RC). The latter is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with 5 regional response centers around the US. Under the direction of the US Coast Guard, each of MSRC's five regions will provide a best-effort response to cleaning up spill of persistent (crude) oils that are beyond the capabilities of local spill response organizations. MSRC will work closely with both cooperatives and independent, commercial responders to maximize spill response effectiveness. The MPA and its member companies have committed more than $400 million for the acquisition of capital equipment for MSRC, an unprecedented record in American business history. MSRC is also involved in research programs concerning remote sensing, in-situ burning, dispersants, handling of recovered material, and shoreline countermeasures.

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris populations were severely affects by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oilspill in western Prince William Sound, AK, and had not fully recovered by 2000. Here we present results of population surveys and incorporate findings from related studies to identify current population status and factors affecting recovery. Between 1993 and 2000, the number of sea otters in the spill-area of Prince William Sound increased by about 600 to nearly 2700. However, at Knight Island, where oil exposure and sea otter mortality in 1989 approached 0.90, no increase has been observed. Sea otter reproduction was not impaired and the age and sex structure of animals captured are consistent with both intrinsic reproduction and immigration contributing to recovery. However, low resighting rates of marked animals at Knight Island compared to an unoiled reference area, and a high proportion of young animals in beach cast carcasses through 1998, suggest that the lack of recovery was caused by relatively poor survival or emigration of potential recruits. Significantly higher levels of cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A), a biomarker of hydrocarbons, were found in sea otters at Knight Island, in 1996-98 compared to unoiled Montague Island, implicating oil effects in the lack of recovery at Knight Island. Delayed recovery does not appear to be directly related to food limitation. Although food availability was relatively low at both oiled and unoiled areas, we detected significant increases in sea otter abundance only at Montague Island, as finding inconsistent with food as a principal limiting factor. Persistent oil in habitats and prey provides a source of continued oil exposure and, combined with relatively low prey densities, suggests a potential interaction between oil and food. However, sea otters foraged more successfully at Knight Island and young females were in better condition than those at Montague Island. We conclude that progress toward recovery of sea otters in Prince William

Oil thickness is a crucial parameter in the characterization of oilspills for environmental impact. The feasibility of using active microwave sensors to measure thickness was addressed in a series of microwave scatterometer experiments performed by Simrad Marine A/S in a wave tank at the Nansen Environmental Remote Sensing Center. The thickness of the oil layer was maintained at levels similar to the thick part of an oilspill (0.1 - 1 mm). The measurements showed the capability of active microwave sensors to measure oilspill thickness when the oil type is known. In addition to thickness characterization, the experiment studied the effects of oil viscosity, incidence angle, wind speed, wind angle, microwave frequency, and polarization. The backscatter contrast was observed to be greater for lower incidence angles which indicates that the ERS-1 viewing geometry is optimum for the detection and measurement of thick oil slicks. A thickness-dependent backscatter model was developed which included the effects of oil viscosity, composite surface effects, and oil-water reflectivities. The model viscous effects saturated when the oil thickness was greater than the viscous boundary layer thickness. This explained the observed C-VV backscatter contrast saturation for low viscosity diesel oil at thicknesses greater than 0.15 mm. The model predicted contrast saturation at greater thicknesses for the higher viscosity oils. The data showed this trend but the measurements did not extend to thicknesses which tested the model completely.

A coupled oil fate and effects model has been developed for the estimation of impacts to habitats, wildlife, and aquatic organisms resulting from acute exposure to spilledoil. The physical fates model estimates the distribution of oil (as mass and concentrations) on the water surface, on shorelines, in the water column, and in the sediments, accounting for spreading, evaporation, transport, dispersion, emulsification, entrainment, dissolution, volatilization, partitioning, sedimentation, and degradation. The biological effects model estimates exposure of biota of various behavior types to floating oil and subsurface contamination, resulting percent mortality, and sublethal effects on production (somatic growth). Impacts are summarized as areas or volumes affected, percent of populations lost, and production foregone because of a spill's effects. This paper summarizes existing information and data used to develop the model, model algorithms and assumptions, validation studies, and research needs. Simulation of the Exxon Valdez oilspill is presented as a case study and validation of the model. PMID:15511105

Reducing the risk of oilspill disasters is essential for protecting the environment and reducing economic losses. Oilspill surveillance constitutes an important component of oilspill disaster management. Advances in remote sensing technologies can help to identify parties potentially responsible for pollution and to identify minor spills before they cause widespread damage. Due to the large number of sensors currently available for oilspill surveillance, there is a need for a comprehensive overview and comparison of existing sensors. Specifically, this paper examines the characteristics and applications of different sensors. A better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of oilspill surveillance sensors will improve the operational use of these sensors for oilspill response and contingency planning. Laser fluorosensors were found to be the best available sensor for oilspill detection since they not only detect and classify oil on all surfaces but also operate in either the day or night. For example, the Scanning Laser Environmental Airborne Fluorosensor (SLEAF) sensor was identified to be a valuable tool for oilspill surveillance. However, no single sensor was able to provide all information required for oilspill contingency planning. Hence, combinations of sensors are currently used for oilspill surveillance. Specifically, satellite sensors are used for preliminary oilspill assessment while airborne sensors are used for detailed oilspill analysis. While satellite remote sensing is not suitable for tactical oilspill planning it can provide a synoptic coverage of the affected area.

A dispersal medium is described for cleaning of oilspills and the like and extinguishing petroleum fires. Its major quantitative part consists of a household liquid detergent and also contains eucalyptus oil, bovine urine, alfalfa and vitamin b-6. Methods of oilspill clean-up and fire extinguishing are also described.

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oilspill was the largest spill and response effort in United States history. Nearly 800 million L of oil was spilled in the Gulf of Mexico, and nearly 7 million L of chemical dispersants were applied in at the ocean surface and subsea1. The DWH spill ...

The research program evaluates the cost effectiveness of the procedures for testing oilspill dispersants as specified in Annex X of the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan. The testing procedure is described in detail in the Standard Dispersant Effec...

Oilspills are nothing new. In fact, for millions of years crude oil has been seeping up to the Earth`s surface, and for all that time Mother Nature has been on the job with microbes, or bacteria, to harmlessly convert the oil to water and carbon dioxide gas. Not all bacteria are bad. True, some can make us sick, however, the good ones help us bake bread, brew beer, and even clean up oilspills by a process known as biodegradation. Oil and bacteria don`t easily get together because oil and water don`t mix and bacteria prefer to stay in water. After some oil tankers spills in the English Channel 25 years ago, major oil companies (Arco, BP, Exxon, and others) developed oil dispersant products-specialized chemicals that make oils and sea water mix. The simplest examples of similar wetting agents are soaps and detergents. Now, thanks to dispersants, the natural bacteria at sea can easily get to the oil and the normally slow biodegradation process goes rather quickly.

Remote sensing is an effective tool to monitor oilspills. The theory of oilspill remote sensing is based on the differences between oil slick and other environmental objects. For optical sensor, the ability of different bands to find oil film at sea is different. Oilspill object could be intensified by composing appropriate bands. In addition, image enhancements could also strengthen oilspill features. For SAR, image characteristics of oilspill are crucial to oil detection. Applications show that sensors loaded on satellite can find oil slick at sea. Optical sensor and SAR have their own advantages, and play different roles in oilspill remote sensing. It is necessary to integrate them to establish an all-weather, omnidirectional 3-D monitoring network for monitoring oilspills and illicit vessel discharges.

The November 1977-January 1978 issue begins Volume 5 of OILSPILL AND OIL POLLUTION REPORTS, a quarterly compilation of abstracts of current oil pollution-related literature and research projects. Comprehensive coverage of terrestrial and aquatic oil pollution and its prevention ...

Over past few years Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR) has received a considerable attention for monitoring and detection of oilspill due to its unique capabilities to provide wide-area surveillance and day and night measurements, almost independently from atmospheric conditions. The critical part of the oilspill detection is to distinguish oilspills from other natural phenomena. Stokes vector analysis of the image data is studied to estimate the polarized circular and linear components of the backscatter signal which essentially utilize the degree of polarization(m) and relative phase (δ) of the target. In a controlled oilspill experiment conducted at Norwegian bay during 17th to 22nd June 2014, RISAT-1 hybrid polarimetry images were utilized to study the characteristics of oilspill in the sea. The preliminary results obtained by using polarimetric decomposition technique on hybrid polarimetric data to decipher the polarimetric characteristics of oilspills from natural waters are discussed in the paper.

Offshore oilspills are of tremendous concern due to their potential impact on economic and ecological systems. A number of major oilspills triggered worldwide consciousness of oilspill preparedness and response. Challenges remain in diverse aspects such as oilspill monitoring, analysis, assessment, contingency planning, response, cleanup, and decision support. This article provides a comprehensive review of the current situations and impacts of offshore oilspills, as well as the policies and technologies in offshore oilspill response and countermeasures. Correspondingly, new strategies and a decision support framework are recommended for improving the capacities and effectiveness of oilspill response and countermeasures. In addition, the emerging challenges in cold and harsh environments are reviewed with recommendations due to increasing risk of oilspills in the northern regions from the expansion of the Arctic Passage. PMID:27393213

The sinking of the Don Pedro merchant ship in 2007 near the island of Ibiza is a good example of the extreme sensitivity of the tourism sector to oilspills. Despite the limited scale of the spill (only some 20 tonnes), its minimal ecological impact, and the rapid deployment of personnel and equipment to contain it, the accident nonetheless caused significant economic damage to the island's tourism sector. This particular case demonstrates the importance of the beach as a factor of production in the holiday tourism sector, and the capacity of even small amounts of oil to render it unusable and cause heavy losses to holiday firms. PMID:25561004

... Office of the Secretary Exxon Valdez OilSpill Public Advisory Committee AGENCY: Office of the Secretary... renewal of the Exxon Valdez OilSpill Public Advisory committee. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Court Order establishing the Exxon Valdez OilSpill Trustee Council also requires a public advisory...

... Office of the Secretary Exxon Valdez OilSpill Public Advisory Committee AGENCY: Office of the Secretary... announcing a public meeting of the Exxon Valdez OilSpill Public Advisory Committee. DATES: October 3, 2013...-5011. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Exxon Valdez OilSpill Public Advisory Committee was created...

Presented in this unit are three activities concerning the causes and effects of oilspills and methods used to clean up these spills in the oceans and Great Lakes. Students construct and interpret a graph showing oil pollution sources. The students create and try to clean up a small-scale oilspill in a pan, and they compare the water quality of…

Several oilspill incidents during recent years have demonstrated that the physico-chemical properties of spilledoil and the effectiveness of available combat methods are, in addition to the prevailing environmental and weather conditions, key factors that determine the consequences of an oilspill. Pre-spill analyses of the feasibility and effectiveness of different response strategies, such as mechanical recovery and dispersants, for actual oils under various environmental conditions should therefore be an essential part of any oilspill contingency planning to optimize the overall {open_quotes}Net Environmental Benefit{close_quotes} of a combat operation. During the four-year research program ESCOST ({open_quotes}ESSO-SINTEF Coastal OilSpill Treatment Program{close_quotes}), significant improvements have been made in oilspill combat methods and in tools for use in contingency planning and decision-making during oilspill operations. This paper will present an overview of the main findings obtained with respect to oil weathering and oilspill dispersant treatment.

Dispersants provide a reliable large-scale response to catastrophic oilspills that can be used when the preferable option of recapturing the oil cannot be achieved. By allowing even mild wave action to disperse floating oil into tiny droplets (<70 μm) in the water column, seabirds, reptiles, and mammals are protected from lethal oiling at the surface, and microbial biodegradation is dramatically increased. Recent work has clarified how dramatic this increase is likely to be: beached oil has an environmental residence of years, whereas dispersed oil has a half-life of weeks. Oilspill response operations endorse the concept of net environmental benefit, that any environmental costs imposed by a response technique must be outweighed by the likely benefits. This critical review discusses the potential environmental debits and credits from dispersant use and concludes that, in most cases, the potential environmental costs of adding these chemicals to a polluted area are likely outweighed by the much shorter residence time, and hence integrated environmental impact, of the spilledoil in the environment. PMID:25938731

Oilspills are a transnational problem, and establishing a common standard methodology for OilSpill Risk Assessments (OSRAs) is thus paramount in order to protect marine environments and coastal communities. In this study we firstly identified the strengths and weaknesses of the OSRAs carried out in various parts of the globe. We then searched for a generic and recognized standard, i.e. ISO 31000, in order to design a method to perform OSRAs in a scientific and standard way. The new framework was tested for the Lebanon oilspill that occurred in 2006 employing ensemble oilspill modeling to quantify the risks and uncertainties due to unknown spill characteristics. The application of the framework generated valuable visual instruments for the transparent communication of the risks, replacing the use of risk tolerance levels, and thus highlighting the priority areas to protect in case of an oilspill. PMID:26067897

Highlights: • Up-cycling one type of pollution i.e. plastic waste and successfully using it to combat the other type of pollution i.e. oilspill. • Synthesized oil sorbent that has extremely high oil uptake of 90 g/g after prolonged dripping of 1 h. • Synthesized porous oil sorbent film which not only facilitates in oil sorption but also increases the affinity between sorbent and oil by means of adhesion. - Abstract: Thermoplastic polymers (such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high density polyethylene (HDPE)) constitute 5–15% of municipal solid waste produced across the world. A huge quantity of plastic waste is disposed of each year and is mostly either discarded in landfills or incinerated. On the other hand, the usage of synthetic polymers as oil sorbents, in particular, polyolefins, including polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene (PE) are the most commonly used oil sorbent materials mainly due to their low cost. However, they possess relatively low oil absorption capacities. In this work, we provide an innovative way to produce a value-added product such as oil-sorbent film with high practical oil uptake values in terms of g/g from waste HDPE bottles for rapid oilspill remedy.

As a result of the huge economic and environmental destruction from oilspills, studies have been directed at improving and deploying natural sorbents which are not only the least expensive but also the safest means of spill control. This research reviews the limitations and environmental impact of existing cleanup methods. It also justifies the need for concerted research effort on oilspill control using natural and sustainable technology concepts. The article proposes future guidelines for the development of a sustainable cleanup technology. Finally, guidelines for the development of a new technology for the Middle East are proposed, which is the use of an abundant resource--date palm fibers--for such techniques. PMID:23037316

The August 1977 - October 1977 issue of OilSpill and Oil Pollution Reports is a quarterly compilation of oil pollution publications and ongoing project summaries. Presented in the report are: (a) summaries and citations of published literature and patents; (b) summaries and stat...

As a rational basis for addressing both ecological and economic consequences of oilspills, a combination of simulating and estimating methods is proposed in this paper. An integration of the state-of-the-art oilspill contingency simulation system OSCAR with economic assessment method leads to realistic oilspill scenarios including their biological and economic impacts and the effort taken for combat as well as to an estimate for the total oilspill costs. In order to derive a simple function of total costs depending on few spill characteristics such as size, a number of hypothetical scenarios are simulated and evaluated for the German North Sea area. Results reveal that response costs of per unit oilspilled as well as integrated costs of oil released are simply characterized as two particular power-law functions of spill size. Such relationships can be straightforward transferred into decision making for efficient prevention and combat strategy in the study area. PMID:19576685

... under 30 CFR 254.6) and hazardous substances (see definition under 40 CFR part 116) as applicable, must accompany your EP: (a) Oilspill response planning. The material required under paragraph (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section: (1) An OilSpill Response Plan (OSRP) for the facilities you will use to...

... under 30 CFR 254.6) and hazardous substances (see definition under 40 CFR part 116) as applicable, must accompany your EP: (a) Oilspill response planning. The material required under paragraph (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section: (1) An OilSpill Response Plan (OSRP) for the facilities you will use to...

... under 30 CFR 254.6) and hazardous substances (see definition under 40 CFR part 116) as applicable, must accompany your EP: (a) Oilspill response planning. The material required under paragraph (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section: (1) An OilSpill Response Plan (OSRP) for the facilities you will use to...

The Coast Guard utilizes a number of monitoring detectors, sensors, and techniques to find, recover and identify oilspills. Discussed in this article are in-situ and airborne sensors, systems developed to provide clean-up capability such as air deployable anti-pollution transfer system (ADAPTS), and techniques which will determine the source of a…

The effective use of some oilspill dispersants requires the addition of mixing energy to the dispersant-treated slick. Various methods of energy application have included the use of fire hose streams directed to the water surface, outboard motors mounted on work boats, and the f...

One of the most popular transportation methods of crude oil is water transport, leading to potential spills of these pollutants in the seas and oceans and water areas of ports, during their extraction, transportation, transhipment and use. The growth of the Lithuanian economy and the expansion of competitiveness were hardly imagined without the development of the Klaipeda seaport. However, the intensity of shipping and the increase in cargo loading volumes at specialised terminals are associated with a higher risk of environmental pollution. To achieve a sustainable development of the seaport, it is necessary not only to ensure the prevention of potential water pollution but also, if necessary, to use environmentally friendly technology for pollution management. The work analyses the possibilities related to the collection of oil products from the water surface using natural sorbents (peat, wool, moss and straw) and their composites.The research of absorbed amount of crude oil and diesel fuel spilled on the water surface, while using sorbents and their composites, determined that sorbents' composite straw-peat (composition percentage of straw-peat 25-75 %) absorbs the major amount of both crude oil (60 % of the spilled volume) and diesel fuel (69 % of the spilled volume) comparing to single sorbents and sorbents' composite straw-peat (composition percentage of straw-peat 50-50 %). PMID:25994272

This is the final report of a two-year, Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Initially, the project focused on creating an ocean oilspill model and working with the major oil companies to compare their data with the Los Alamos global ocean model. As a result of this initial effort, Los Alamos worked closely with the Eddy Joint Industry Project (EJIP), a consortium oil and gas producing companies in the US. The central theme of the project was to use output produced from LANL`s global ocean model to look in detail at ocean currents in selected geographic areas of the world of interest to consortium members. Once ocean currents are well understood this information could be used to create oilspill models, improve offshore exploration and drilling equipment, and aid in the design of semi-permanent offshore production platforms.

The National Academy of Sciences estimate 1.7 to 8.8 million tons of oil are released into global waters every year. The effects of these spills include dead wildlife, oil covered marshlands and contaminated water. Deepwater horizon cost approximately $50 billion and severely challenged response capabilities. In such large spills optimizing a coordinated response is a particular challenge. This challenge can be met in a revolutionary new way by using an objectively optimized Cyber Physical Decision Making System (CPS) for rapid response products and a framework for objectively optimized decision-making in an uncertain environment. The CPS utilizes machine learning for the processing of the massive real-time streams of Big Data from comprehensive hyperspectral remote sensing acquired by a team of low-cost robotic aerial vehicles, providing a real-time aerial view and stream of hyperspectral imagery from the near UV to the thermal infrared, and a characterization of oil thickness, oil type and oil weathering. The objective decision making paradigm is modeled on the human brain and provides the optimal course trajectory for response vessels to achieve the most expeditious cleanup of oilspills using the available resources. In addition, oilspill cleanups often involve surface oil burns that can lead to air quality issues. The aerial vehicles comprehensively characterize air quality in real-time, streaming location, temperature, pressure, humidity, the abundance of 6 criterion pollutants (O3, CO, NO, NO2, SO2, and H2S) and the full size distribution of airborne particulates. This CPS can be readily applied to other systems in agriculture, water conversation, monitoring of stream quality, air quality, diagnosing risk of wild fires, etc..

We build on previous work to construct a comprehensive database of shoreline oiling exposure from the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill by compiling field and remotely-sensed datasets to support oil exposure and injury quantification. We compiled a spatial database of shoreline segments with attributes summarizing habitat, oiling category and timeline. We present new simplified oil exposure classes for both beaches and coastal wetland habitats derived from this database integrating both intensity and persistence of oiling on the shoreline over time. We document oiling along 2113km out of 9545km of surveyed shoreline, an increase of 19% from previously published estimates and representing the largest marine oilspill in history by length of shoreline oiled. These data may be used to generate maps and calculate summary statistics to assist in quantifying and understanding the scope, extent, and spatial distribution of shoreline oil exposure as a result of the DWH incident. PMID:27098990

Pollution of the marine environment with crude oil represents one of the most serious environmental problems that confront Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Oil pollution in the Arabian Gulf environment may affect the inhabitants through (1) human health hazard resulting from the consumption of contaminated sea food, (2) loss of food due to alteration of species productivity or elimination of some species, and (3) deterioration of recreation areas. Moreover, the problem of oilspill may be more severe in this part of the world. This is mainly because the source of drinking water in various Gulf states depends largely on sea water from which desalinated water is produced. Contamination of sea water with crude oil may adversely affect the quality of desalinated water and may badly damage desalination plants. During the last twelve years, the Arabian Gulf has been affected by two major oilspills. The first spill occurred on February 4, 1983 during the Iraq-Iran War, and the second major oilspill occured during the 1991 Gulf War. There is limited information about the level of oil hydrocarbons in edible fish, but two studies were carried out after both spills. This paper summarized the results of both studies carried out to assess the extent of contamination of various fish species of commercial value from the Arabian Gulf with oil hydrocarbons.

Remote-sensing for oilspills is reviewed. The use of visible techniques is ubiquitous, however it gives only the same results as visual monitoring. Oil has no particular spectral features that would allow for identification among the many possible background interferences. Cameras are only useful to provide documentation. In daytime oil absorbs light and remits this as thermal energy at temperatures 3-8K above ambient, this is detectable by infrared (IR) cameras. Laser fluorosensors are useful instruments because of their unique capability to identify oil on backgrounds that include water, soil, weeds, ice and snow. They are the only sensor that can positively discriminate oil on most backgrounds. Radar detects oil on water by the fact that oil will dampen water-surface capillary waves under low to moderate wave/wind conditions. Radar offers the only potential for large area searches, day/night and foul weather remote sensing. PMID:24759508

This paper presents the methodological approach of the oilspill monitoring system that is being put into operation by the National Petroleum Agency (NPA) in Brazil. The methodology is based on integrated analysis of multi-sensor data which includes satellites products, such as, GOES and AVHRR Sea Surface Temperature (SST), SeaWiFs chlorophyll concentration, QuikScat near sea surface wind field, GOES and AVHRR convective rain areas, and Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR) data from RADARSAT-1 satellite. The methodology is implemented by means of a system composed by four subsystems called, data reception (SAR, GOES, NOAA and QuikScat), Integrator, hydrodynamic model and database. The methodology was applied to the accidental oilspill caused by PETROBRAS oil rig P-36. A RADARSAT-1 image was acquired during accident period at 21:07 (GMT) on 22nd of March 2001 and used. The results are presented and discussed.

Bioremediation can be a safe and effective tool for dealing with crude oilspills, as demonstrated during the cleanup following the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska. Crude oil has also been spilled on land, and bioremediation is a promising option for land spills too. Nevertheless, there are still areas where understanding of the phenomenon is rather incomplete. Research groups around the world are addressing these problems, and this symposium provides an excellent overview of some of this work.

To determine whether acoustic, visual, or olfactory stimuli could be used to move sea otters out of an area in the event of an oilspill, the authors recorded the responses of sea otters to a variety of stimuli during captive studies in Alaska. These findings are similar to those of previous attempts to control the movements of sea otters and other marine mammals and birds. An alternative to herding is to capture otters in the vicinity of the spill and temporarily hold them in captivity. This approach is only practical if the number of otters in jeopardy is small (less than 60) and there is enough time to capture them. Based on the results of the study and previous attempts by the California Department of Fish and Game to herd sea otters, the authors do not think acoustic, visual, and olfactory stimuli are effective deterrents. In the absence of effective methods to keep sea otters out of an oilspill, the emphasis must remain on spill prevention, containment, and cleanup.

Thermoplastic polymers (such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high density polyethylene (HDPE)) constitute 5-15% of municipal solid waste produced across the world. A huge quantity of plastic waste is disposed of each year and is mostly either discarded in landfills or incinerated. On the other hand, the usage of synthetic polymers as oil sorbents, in particular, polyolefins, including polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene (PE) are the most commonly used oil sorbent materials mainly due to their low cost. However, they possess relatively low oil absorption capacities. In this work, we provide an innovative way to produce a value-added product such as oil-sorbent film with high practical oil uptake values in terms of g/g from waste HDPE bottles for rapid oilspill remedy. PMID:26105077

Surveillance and monitoring of oil in the marine environment imposes a broad spectrum of remote sensing requirements. At the US Coast Guard Research Development Center, the environmental safety branch is sponsoring oilspill remote sensing research in four areas of technology: Synthetic aperture radar (SAR), Frequency-scanning microwave radiometry (FSR), Laser fluorosensing (LFS), and Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imagers. SAR technology uses sophisticated signal processing to overcome prior limitations, providing images of higher and more uniform spatial acuity which may enable interpreters to more-readily distinguish petroleum slicks from others. The ability to determine the distribution of oil thickness within a slick is necessary when an estimate of oil volume is desired. Scientists at MIT have formulated a new approach to radiometric oil thickness measurement that takes advantage of recent advances in electronic component technology. The initial data collected with a prototype FSR instrument have validated the FSR concept and more work is ongoing. The Coast Guard is co-funding a program to demonstrate and evaluate the capabilities of an airborne laser fluorosensor to support oilspill response operations. During a controlled test, the instrument successfully demonstrated an ability to detect oil on water, ice, and various beach surfaces. Additional testing included different oil types and allowed for weathering. Data analysis is ongoing. Recent developments in infrared imager technology have produced a wide variety of off-the-shelf, portable cameras that could potentially provide a rapid-response spill assessment capability. The R D Center has been involved in the testing of many of these sensors.

In 15 months the first national oilspill cleanup organization plans to be in operation at sites around the U.S. coast. This paper reports that the Marine Spill Response Corp. (MSRC), financed by major oil companies, plans to begin full operation Feb. 18, 1993. It is considering starting limited operations in selected regions before then. Following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oilspill, an American Petroleum Institute task force proposed creation of a private offshore oilspill response agency. Individual oil companies then began a nonprofit firm that has evolved into MSRC. MSRC has a clearly defined role: It exists to sponsor oilspill research and to respond to catastrophic spills from offshore pipelines, platforms, rigs and tankers, carrying the oil of its sponsoring companies.

Sea otters in California, with their limited range and numbers, are exposed to the threat of oilspills from a number of sources including offshore oil and gas development, transportation of crude oil and refined products, and the bunker fuel of vessels transiting the otter range. This report explores some of the direct and indirect ways otters may be affected by oilspills, including hypothermia, pneumonia, toxic effects, and destruction of preferred prey. The report also examines the possibility of mitigating the effects of oilspills through spill containment and cleanup, otter capture, cleaning and rehabilitation, and otter relocation. The report concludes with a description of the amount of shoreline affected by some major spills in various parts of the world.

The objective of the study was to analyze the effectiveness of existing capture, transport, cleaning, and rehabilitation methods and develop new methods to reduce the impact of an accidental oilspill to California sea otters, resulting from the present conditions or from future Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas development in State or Federal waters. In addition, the study investigated whether or not a systematic difference in thermal conductivity existed between the pelts of Alaska and California Sea otters. This was done to assure that conclusions drawn from the oiling experiments carried out at Hubbs Marine Research Institute, Tetra Tech, Inc. contributed to the overall study by preparing a literature review and report on the fate and effects of oil dispersants and chemically dispersed oil.

Through Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts with Marshall Space Flight Center, Micro-Bac International Inc., of Round Rock, Texas, developed a phototrophic cell for water purification in space. Inside the cell: millions of photosynthetic bacteria. Micro-Bac proceeded to commercialize the bacterial formulation it developed for the SBIR project. The formulation is now used for the remediation of wastewater systems and waste from livestock farms and food manufacturers. Strains of the SBIR-derived bacteria also feature in microbial solutions that treat environmentally damaging oilspills, such as that resulting from the catastrophic 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.

Oilspill model users and modelers were brought together for the purpose of fostering joint communication and increasing understanding of mutual problems. The workshop concentrated on defining user needs, presentations on ongoing modeling programs, and discussions of supporting research for these modeling efforts. Specific user recommendations include the development of an oilspill model user library which identifies and describes available models. The development of models for the long-term fate and effect of spilledoil was examined.

The Deepwater Horizon oilspill (DWH) was the largest environmental disaster and response effort in United States history, with nearly 800 million liters of crude oilspilled. Vast areas of the Gulf of Mexico were contaminated with oil, including deep ocean communities and over 1...

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oilspill was the largest environmental disaster and response effort in U.S. history, with nearly 800 million liters of crude oilspilled. Vast areas of the Gulf of Mexico were contaminated with oil, including deep-ocean communities and over 1,600 kilo...

Locating oil in marine and terrestrial environments is a daunting task. There are commercially available off the shelf (COTS) sensors with a wide field-of-view (FOV) which can be used to map the overall extent of the spill. These generic sensors, however, lack the specificity required to positively identify oil and related products. The problem is exacerbated along beach and shoreline environments where a variety of organic and inorganic substrates are present. One sensor that can detect and classify oil in these environments is the laser fluorosensor. Laser fluorosensors have been under development by several agencies around the world for the past two decades. Environment Canada has been involved with laser fluorosensor development since the early 1990s. The prototype system was known as the Laser Environmental Airborne Fluorosensor (LEAF). The LEAF has recently been modified to provide real-time oilspill detection and classification. Fluorescence spectra are collected and analyzed at the rate of 100 Hz. Geo-referenced maps showing the locations of oil contamination are produced in real-time onboard the aircraft. While the LEAF has proven to be an excellent prototype sensor and a good operational tool, it has some deficiencies when it comes to oilspill response operations. A consortium including Environment Canada and the Minerals Management Service has recently funded the development of a new fluorosensor, called the Scanning Laser Environmental Airborne Fluorosensor (SLEAF). The SLEAF was designed to detect and map oil in shoreline environments where other non-specific sensors experience difficulty. Oil tends to pile up in narrow bands along the high tide line on beaches. A nadir-looking, small footprint sensor such as the LEAF would have difficulty locating oil in this situation. The SLEAF employs a pair of conical scanning mirrors to direct the laser beam in a circular pattern below the aircraft. With a sampling rate of 400 Hz and real-time spectral analysis

A pipe rupture during unloading led to a spillage of 350-700 tonnes of Caño Limon, a light sweet crude oil, into San Vicente Bay in 2007. Initial clean-up methods removed the majority of the oil from the sandy beaches although some oil remained on the rocky shores. It was necessary for the responsible party to clean the spilledoil even though at this location there were already crude oil hydrocarbons from previous industrial activity. A biosolvent based on vegetable oil derivatives was used to solubilise the remaining oil and a statistical approach to source apportionment was used to determine the efficacy of the cleaning. Sediment and contaminated rock samples were taken prior to cleaning and again at the same locations two days after application of the biosolvent. The oil was extracted using a modified USEPA Method 3550B. The alkanes were quantified together with oil biomarkers on a GC-MS. The contribution that Caño Limon made to the total oil hydrocarbons was calculated from a Partial Least Squares (PLS) analysis using Caño Limon crude oil as the source. By the time the biosolvent was applied, there had already been some attenuation of the oil with all alkanes oil in this case and the contribution that Caño Limon made to the total oil ranged from 0% to 74%. The total hydrocarbon concentrations were lower after cleaning indicating an efficacy of 90% although the reduction in Caño Limon oil was smaller. This was sufficient to make further remediation unnecessary. PMID:22588176

Remote-sensors for application to oilspills are reviewed. The capability of sensors to detect oil and to discriminate oil from background targets is the most important assessment criterion. A common sensor is an infrared camera or an IR/UV system. This sensor class can detect oil under a variety of conditions, discriminate oil from some backgrounds and has the lowest cost of any sensor. The inherent weaknesses include the inability to discriminate oil on beaches, among weeds or debris and under certain lighting conditions oil is not detected. The laser fluorosensor is recommended because of its unique capability to identify oil on most backgrounds. Radar, although low in priority for purchase, offers the only potential for large area searches and foul weather remote sensing. Radar is costly and requires a dedicated aircraft. Radar is prone to many interferences. Equipment operating in the visible spectrum, such as a camera or scanner, is useful for documentation or providing a basis for the overlay of other data. It is not useful beyond this, because oil shows no spectral characteristics in the visible region.

In this publication we present an automated detection method for ocean surface oil, like that which existed in the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion. Regions of surface oil in airborne imagery are isolated using red, green, and blue bands from multispectral data sets. The oil shape isolation procedure involves a series of image processing functions to draw out the visual phenomenological features of the surface oil. These functions include selective color band combinations, contrast enhancement and histogram warping. An image segmentation process then separates out contiguous regions of oil to provide a raster mask to an analyst. We automate the detection algorithm to allow large volumes of data to be processed in a short time period, which can provide timely oil coverage statistics to response crews. Geo-referenced and mosaicked data sets enable the largest identified oil regions to be mapped to exact geographic coordinates. In our simulation, multispectral imagery came from multiple sources including first-hand data collected from the Gulf. Results of the simulation show the oilspill coverage area as a raster mask, along with histogram statistics of the oil pixels. A rough square footage estimate of the coverage is reported if the image ground sample distance is available.

Bioremediation is defined as the act of adding or improving the availability of materials (e.g., nutrients, microorganisms, or oxygen) to contaminated environments to cause an acceleration of natural biodegradative processes. The results of field experiments and trials following actual spill incidents have been reviewed to evaluate the feasibility of this approach as a treatment for oil contamination in the marine environment. The ubiquity of oil-degrading microorganisms in the marine environment is well established, and research has demonstrated the capability of the indigenous microflora to degrade many components of petroleum shortly after exposure. Studies have identified numerous factors which affect the natural biodegradation rates of oil, such as the origin and concentration of oil, the availability of oil-degrading microorganisms, nutrient concentrations, oxygen levels, climatic conditions, and sediment characteristics. Bioremediation strategies based on the application of fertilizers have been shown to stimulate the biodegradation rates of oil in aerobic intertidal sediments such as sand and cobble. The ratio of oil loading to nitrogen concentration within the interstitial water has been identified to be the principal controlling factor influencing the success of this bioremediation strategy. However, the need for the seeding of natural environments with hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria has not been clearly demonstrated under natural environmental conditions. It is suggested that bioremediation should now take its place among the many techniques available for the treatment of oilspills, although there is still a clear need to set operational limits for its use. On the basis of the available evidence, we have proposed preliminary operational guidelines for bioremediation on shoreline environments. PMID:8801437

Bioremediation is defined as the act of adding or improving the availability of materials (e.g., nutrients, microorganisms, or oxygen) to contaminated environments to cause an acceleration of natural biodegradative processes. The results of field experiments and trials following actual spill incidents have been reviewed to evaluate the feasibility of this approach as a treatment for oil contamination in the marine environment. The ubiquity of oil-degrading microorganisms in the marine environment is well established, and research has demonstrated the capability of the indigenous microflora to degrade many components of petroleum shortly after exposure. Studies have identified numerous factors which affect the natural biodegradation rates of oil, such as the origin and concentration of oil, the availability of oil-degrading microorganisms, nutrient concentrations, oxygen levels, climatic conditions, and sediment characteristics. Bioremediation strategies based on the application of fertilizers have been shown to stimulate the biodegradation rates of oil in aerobic intertidal sediments such as sand and cobble. The ratio of oil loading to nitrogen concentration within the interstitial water has been identified to be the principal controlling factor influencing the success of this bioremediation strategy. However, the need for the seeding of natural environments with hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria has not been clearly demonstrated under natural environmental conditions. It is suggested that bioremediation should now take its place among the many techniques available for the treatment of oilspills, although there is still a clear need to set operational limits for its use. On the basis of the available evidence, we have proposed preliminary operational guidelines for bioremediation on shoreline environments. PMID:8801437

For more than a decade NIST conducted research to understand, measure and predict the important features of burning oil on water. Results of that research have been included in nationally recognized guidelines for approval of intentional burning. NIST measurements and predictions have played a major role in establishing in situ burning as a primary oilspill response method. Data are given for pool fire burning rates, smoke yield, smoke particulate size distribution, smoke aging, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content of the smoke for crude and fuel oil fires with effective diameters up to 17.2 m. New user-friendly software, ALOFT, was developed to quantify the large-scale features and trajectory of wind blown smoke plumes in the atmosphere and estimate the ground level smoke particulate concentrations. Predictions using the model were tested successfully against data from large-scale tests. ALOFT software is being used by oilspill response teams to help assess the potential impact of intentional burning. PMID:27500022

The bibliography contains citations concerning the legal aspects of oilspills. Topics include general perspectives on oilspills, EPA's response to oilspills, legal and corporate response to oilspills, public interest groups' attitudes on oilspills, and economic and political approaches to the problems caused by oilspills. Federal, state and local legislation dealing with these problems is emphasized. (Contains 250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

Oilspill events are a crucial environmental issue. Detection of oilspills is important for both oil exploration and environmental protection. In this paper, investigation of hyperspectral remote sensing is performed for the detection of oilspills and the discrimination of different oil types. Spectral signatures of different oil types are very useful, since they may serve as endmembers in unmixing and classification models. Towards this direction, an oil spectral library, resulting from spectral measurements of artificial oilspills as well as of look-alikes in marine environment was compiled. Samples of four different oil types were used; two crude oils, one marine residual fuel oil, and one light petroleum product. Lookalikes comprise sea water, river discharges, shallow water and water with algae. Spectral measurements were acquired with spectro-radiometer GER1500. Moreover, oil and look-alikes spectral signatures have been examined whether they can be served as endmembers. This was accomplished by testifying their linear independence. After that, synthetic hyperspectral images based on the relevant oil spectral library were created. Several simplex-based endmember algorithms such as sequential maximum angle convex cone (SMACC), vertex component analysis (VCA), n-finder algorithm (N-FINDR), and automatic target generation process (ATGP) were applied on the synthetic images in order to evaluate their effectiveness for detecting oilspill events occurred from different oil types. Results showed that different types of oilspills with various thicknesses can be extracted as endmembers.

This issue contains summaries of articles, reports, patents, documents, and other materials relating to oil pollution published during the period 1974 to 1976. Subject coverage includes aquatic and terrestrial oil pollution with emphasis on the marine environment. A list of the p...

European crude oil and petroleum products pipelines in 1992 had fewer incidents of oilspills than in 1991, spilled less in total volume, and recovered a larger portion of what was spilled than in any single year in the 5-year period beginning in 1988. Only seven incidents of oilspills from pipelines or related facilities occurred in 1992, compared with 14 in 1991 and an average of 12.9/year since 1971. Five spills were from pipelines; two from pump stations. Net loss of oil into the environment was 430 cu m (2,709 bbl) or barely 0.7 ppm of the total volume transported. Gross amount of spills totaled 804 cu m (5,065 bbl), least in the period 1988--92.

The use of bioremediation as a supplemental cleanup technology in the Exxon Valdez oilspill, in Prince William Sound, Alaska, has proven to be a good example of the problems and successes associated with the practical application of this technology. ield studies conducted by sci...

A new set of equations is presented to describe the process of oil spreading under ice in clam waters. These equations consider the gravity (buoyancy)-inertia phase, the gravity (buoyancy)-viscous phase, and the termination of spreading during the buoyancy-surface-tension phase. The derivation considers both the constant discharge mode and the constant volume mode. Therefore, a complete description of the spreading phenomena from the time of initial spill to the termination of spreading is presented. Laboratory experiments were conducted using both real ice covers in a cold room and artificial ice covers. The experiments included different ice-cover roughnesses from smooth to rough, oils of different viscosities, and a variety of discharge conditions. The experimental data show close agreement with the theory. These equations can be used during cleanup or environmental impact assessment to estimate the area of an oil slick with respect to time.

The Deepwater Horizon oilspill (DWH) in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest accidental marine oilspill in the history of the petroleum industry. After DWH, key questions were asked: What is the likelihood that a similar catastrophic oilspill (with a volume over 1 million barrels) will happen again? Is DWH an extreme event or will it happen frequently in the future? The extreme value theory (EVT) has been widely used in studying rare events, including damage from hurricanes, stock market crashes, insurance claims, flooding, and earthquakes. In this paper, the EVT is applied to analyze oilspills in the U.S. outer continental shelf (OCS). Incorporating the 49 years (1964-2012) of OCS oilspill data, the EVT is capable of describing the oilspills reasonably well. The return period of a catastrophic oilspill in OCS areas is estimated to be 165 years, with a 95% confidence interval between 41 years and more than 500 years. Sensitivity tests indicate that the EVT results are relatively stable. The results of this study are very useful for oilspill risk assessment, contingency planning, and environmental impact statements on oil exploration, development, and production. PMID:25109900

Much is known about the transport and fate of oilspilled into the sea and its toxicity to exposed wildlife. Previously, however, there has been no way to quantify the probability that wildlife dispersed over the seascape would be exposed to spilledoil. Polar bears, the apical predator of the arctic, are widely dispersed near the continental shelves of the Arctic Ocean, an area also undergoing considerable hydrocarbon exploration and development. We used 15,308 satellite locations from 194 radiocollared polar bears to estimate the probability that polar bears could be exposed to hypothetical oilspills. We used a true 2 dimensional Gausian kernel density estimator, to estimate the number of bears likely to occur in each 1.00 km2 cell of a grid superimposed over near shore areas surrounding 2 oil production facilities: the existing Northstar oil production facility, and the proposed offshore site for the Liberty production facility. We estimated the standard errors of bear numbers per cell with bootstrapping. Simulated oilspill footprints for September and October, the times during which we hypothesized effects of an oil-spill would be worst, were estimated using real wind and current data collected between 1980 and 1996. We used ARC/Info software to calculate overlap (numbers of bears oiled) between simulated oil-spill footprints and polar bear grid-cell values. Numbers of bears potentially oiled by a hypothetical 5912 barrel spill (the largest spill thought probable from a pipeline breach) ranged from 0 to 27 polar bears for September open water conditions, and from 0 to 74 polar bears in October mixed ice conditions. Median numbers oiled by the 5912 barrel hypothetical spill from the Liberty simulation in September and October were 1 and 3 bears, equivalent values for the Northstar simulation were 3 and 11 bears. In October, 75% of trajectories from the 5912 barrel simulated spill at Liberty oiled 9 or fewer bears while 75% of the trajectories affected 20 or

Extensive experiments with in situ incineration were performed on a desert site at the University of Arizona with very striking results. The largest incinerator, 6 feet in diameter with a 30 foot chimney, developed combustion temperatures of 3000, F, and attendant soot production approximately 1000 times less than that produced by conventional in situ burning. This soot production, in fact, is approximately 30 times less than current allowable EPA standards for incinerators and internal combustion engines. Furthermore, as a consequence of the high temperature combustion, the bum rate was established at a very high 3400 gallons per hour for this particular 6 foot diameter structure. The rudimentary design studies we have carried out relative to a seagoing 8 foot diameter incinerator have predicted that a continuous burn rate of 7000 gallons per hour is realistic. This structure was taken as a basis for operational design because it is compatible with C130 flyability, and will be inexpensive enough ($120,000 per copy) to be stored at those seaside depots throughout the US coast line in which the requisite ancillary equipments (booms, service tugs, etc.) are already deployed. The LOX experiments verified our expectations with respect to combustion of debris and various highly weathered or emulsified oils. We have concluded, however, that the use of liquid oxygen in actual beach clean up is not promising because the very high temperatures associated with this combustion are almost certain to produce environmentally deleterious effects on the beach surface and its immediately sublying structures. However, the use of liquid oxygen augmentation for shore based and flyable incinerators may still play an important role in handing the problem of accumulated debris.

The Exxon Valdez, on March 24, 1989, spilled approximately eleven million gallons of Prudhoe Bay crude oil into the waters of Prince William Sound. Approximately 300 miles of contaminated beach are potential...

This report is a digest of a workshop on disposal of oilspill debris. Representatives of five New England states and New York agreed that oilspill cleanup and disposal of debris is a major regional problem which must be addressed by identifying disposal sites in advance of majo...

The Deepwater Horizon oilspill (DWH) was the largest environmental disaster and response effort in US History, with nearly 800 million liters spilled. Vast areas of the Gulf of Mexico were contaminated with oil, including deep ocean communities, protected species, over 1600 km o...

Chemical dispersants are one of the tools available to oilspill response personnel to control the spread of an oil slick. The manual presents information from the literature relative to dispersant effectiveness, toxicity and other environmental factors, regulatory and administra...

Chemical dispersants are one of the tools available to oilspill response personnel to control the spread of an oil slick. his manual presents information from the literature relative to dispersant effectiveness, toxicity and other environmental factors, regulatory and administra...

A large quantity of lumber was spilled in the ocean off central California during the winter of 1978, and it spread through most of the range of the threatened California sea otter population within 4 weeks. The movement rates of lumber were similar to those of oil slicks observed elsewhere. These observations indicate that a major oilspill could expose significant numbers of California sea otters to oil contamination.

Oilspills in industrialized cities pose a significant threat to their urban water environment. The largest city in Canada, the city of Toronto, has an average 300-500 oilspills per year with an average total volume of about 160,000 L/year. About 45% of the spills was eventually cleaned up. Given the enormous amount of remaining oil entering into the fragile urban ecosystem, it is important to develop an effective pollution prevention and control plan for the city. A Geographic Information System (GIS) planning model has been developed to characterize oilspills and determine preventive and control measures available in the city. A database of oilspill records from 1988 to 1997 was compiled and geo-referenced. Attributes to each record such as spill volume, oil type, location, road type, sector, source, cleanup percentage, and environmental impacts were created. GIS layers of woodlots, wetlands, watercourses, Environmental Sensitive Areas, and Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest were obtained from the local Conservation Authority. By overlaying the spill characteristics with the GIS layers, evaluation of preventive and control solutions close to these environmental features was conducted. It was found that employee training and preventive maintenance should be improved as the principal cause of spills was attributed to human errors and equipment failure. Additionally, the cost of using oil separators at strategic spill locations was found to be $1.4 million. The GIS model provides an efficient planning tool for urban oilspill management. Additionally, the graphical capability of GIS allows users to integrate environmental features and spill characteristics in the management analysis. PMID:11379137

This paper reports that crude oil was spilling last week from the U.S. owned Braer tanker after the 89,000 dwt vessel ran aground on the south end of Scotland's Shetland Islands. Workers were trying to assess the extent of damage to the tanker, shoreline, and wildlife after the January 5 accident. Braer's cargo amounted to 607,000 bbl of Norwegian oil bound for Canada. Braer loaded its cargo and sailed January 3 from Den norske stats oljeselskap AS's Mongstad, Norway, terminal with crude from Gullfaks field in the Norwegian North Sea. The $11 million shipment was destined for Ultramar Canada Inc.'s 125,000 b/d refinery at St. Romuald, Que.

Oilspills can cause enormous ecological and economic devastation, necessitating application of the best science and technology available, and remote sensing is playing a growing critical role in the detection and monitoring of oilspills, as well as facilitating validation of remote sensing oilspill products. The FOSTERRS (Federal Oil Science Team for Emergency Response Remote Sensing) interagency working group seeks to ensure that during an oilspill, remote sensing assets (satellite/aircraft/instruments) and analysis techniques are quickly, effectively, appropriately, and seamlessly available to oilspills responders. Yet significant challenges remain for addressing oils spanning a vast range of chemical properties that may be spilled from the Tropics to the Arctic, with algorithms and scientific understanding needing advances to keep up with technology. Thus, FOSTERRS promotes enabling scientific discovery to ensure robust utilization of available technology as well as identifying technologies moving up the TRL (Technology Readiness Level). A recent FOSTERRS facilitated support activity involved deployment of the AVIRIS NG (Airborne Visual Infrared Imaging Spectrometer- Next Generation) during the Santa Barbara OilSpill to validate the potential of airborne hyperspectral imaging to real-time map beach tar coverage including surface validation data. Many developing airborne technologies have potential to transition to space-based platforms providing global readiness.

In recent years, oilspills have become a significant environmental problem in Thailand. This paper presents a laser treatment for controlled-clean up oilspill from coastal rocks. The cleaning of various types of coastal rocks polluted by the spill was investigated by using a quasi CW diode laser operating at 808 nm. The laser power was attempted from 1 W to 70 W. The result is shown to lead to the laser removal of oilspill, without damaging the underlying rocks. In addition, the cleaning efficiency is evaluated using an optical microscope. This study shows that the laser technology would provide an attractive alternative to current cleaning methods to remove oilspill from coastal rocks.

... 30 CFR 254.6) and hazardous substances (see definition under 40 CFR part 116), as applicable, must accompany your DPP or DOCD: (a) Oilspill response planning. The material required under paragraph (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section: (1) An OilSpill Response Plan (OSRP) for the facilities you will use...

... 30 CFR 254.6) and hazardous substances (see definition under 40 CFR part 116), as applicable, must accompany your DPP or DOCD: (a) Oilspill response planning. The material required under paragraph (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section: (1) An OilSpill Response Plan (OSRP) for the facilities you will use...

... 30 CFR 254.6) and hazardous substances (see definition under 40 CFR part 116), as applicable, must accompany your DPP or DOCD: (a) Oilspill response planning. The material required under paragraph (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section: (1) An OilSpill Response Plan (OSRP) for the facilities you will use...

The sources of marine oilspills are mainly from accidents of marine oil tankers or freighters, marine oil-drilling platforms, marine oil pipelines, marine oilfields, terrestrial pollution, oil-bearing atmosphere, and offshore oil production equipment. It is concluded upon analysis that there are two main reasons for marine oilspills: (I) The motive for huge economic benefits of oil industry owners and oil shipping agents far surpasses their sense of ecological risks. (II) Marine ecological safety has not become the main concern of national security. Oilspills are disasters because humans spare no efforts to get economic benefits from oil. The present paper draws another conclusion that marine ecological damage caused by oilspills can be roughly divided into two categories: damage to marine resource value (direct value) and damage to marine ecosystem service value (indirect value). Marine oilspills cause damage to marine biological, fishery, seawater, tourism and mineral resources to various extents, which contributes to the lower quality and value of marine resources.

... oilspill and to develop options to guard against, and mitigate the impact of, any oilspills... mitigate the impact of, any oilspills associated with offshore drilling in the future. Tentative Agenda... National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon OilSpill and Offshore Drilling AGENCY: Department...

... oilspill and to develop options to guard against, and mitigate the impact of, any oilspills... mitigate the impact of, any oilspills associated with offshore drilling in the future. Tentative Agenda... National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon OilSpill and Offshore Drilling AGENCY: Department...

The effectiveness of bioremediation for oilspills has been difficult to establish on dynamic, heterogeneous marine shorelines. A new interpretative technique used following the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska shows that fertilizer applications significantly increased rates of oil biodegradation. Biodegradation rates depended mainly on the concentration of nitrogen within the shoreline, the oil loading, and the extent to which natural biodegradation had already taken place. The results suggest ways to improve the effectiveness of bioremediation measures in the future.

The Mediterranean environment is exposed to various hazards, including oilspills, forest fires, and floods, making the development of a decision support system (DSS) for emergency management an objective of utmost importance. The present work presents a complete DSS for managing marine pollution events caused by oilspills. The system provides all the necessary tools for early detection of oil-spills from satellite images, monitoring of their evolution, estimation of the accident consequences and provision of support to responsible Public Authorities during clean-up operations. The heart of the system is an image processing-geographic information system and other assistant individual software tools that perform oilspill evolution simulation and all other necessary numerical calculations as well as cartographic and reporting tasks related to a specific management of the oilspill event. The cartographic information is derived from the extant general maps representing detailed information concerning several regional environmental and land-cover characteristics as well as financial activities of the application area. Early notification of the authorities with up-to-date accurate information on the position and evolution of the oilspill, combined with the detailed coastal maps, is of paramount importance for emergency assessment and effective clean-up operations that would prevent environmental hazard. An application was developed for the Region of Crete, an area particularly vulnerable to oilspills due to its location, ecological characteristics, and local economic activities. PMID:14753653

Oilspill on the water bodies has adverse effects on coastal and marine ecology. Oilspill contingency planning is of utmost importance in order to plan for mitigation and remediation of the oceanic oilspill. Remote sensing technologies are used for monitoring the oilspills on the ocean and coastal region. Airborne and satellite sensors such as optical, infrared, ultraviolet, radar and microwave sensors are available for remote surveillance of the ocean. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is used most extensively for oil-spill monitoring because of its capability to operate during day/night and cloud-cover condition. This study detects the possible oilspill regions on fully polarimetric Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle - Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) images. The UAVSAR image is decomposed using Cloude-Pottier polarimetric decomposition technique to obtain entropy and alpha parameters. In addition, other polarimetric features such as co-polar correlation and degree of polarization are obtained for the UAVSAR images. These features are used to with fuzzy logic based classification to detect oilspill on the SAR images. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

An oilspill fishery impact assessment model system has been applied to the Georges Bank-Gulf of Maine region to assess the sensitivity of probable impact on several key fisheries to spill location and timing. Simulations of the impact on the fishery of tanker spills (20 million gallons released over 5 days), at two separate locations for each season of the year, and blowout spills (68 million gallons released over 30 days) at one location, with monthly releases and at six other locations with seasonal spills have been studied. Atlantic cod has been employed as the principal fish species throughout the simulations. Impacts on Atlantic herring and haddock have also been investigated for selected cases. All spill sites are located on Georges Bank with the majority in the general region of OCS leasing activity. The results of these simulations suggest a complex interaction among spill location and timing, the spatial and temporal distribution of spawning, the population dynamics of the species under study, and the hydrodynamics of the area. For the species studied, spills occurring during the winter and spring have the largest impact with cod being the most heavily impacted followed by haddock and herring. In all cases, the maximum cumulative loss to the fishery of a one time spill event never exceeded 25% of the annual catch with the exact value depending on the number of ichthyoplankton impacted by the spill and the compensatory dynamics of the population.

Decision science tools can be used in evaluating response options and making inferences on risks to ecosystem services (ES) from ecological disasters. Influence diagrams (IDs) are probabilistic networks that explicitly represent the decisions related to a problem and their influence on desired or undesired outcomes. To examine how IDs might be useful in probabilistic risk management for spill response efforts, an ID was constructed to display the potential interactions between exposure events and the trade-offs between costs and ES impacts from spilledoil and response decisions in the DWH spill event. Quantitative knowledge was not formally incorporated but an ID platform for doing this was examined. Probabilities were assigned for conditional relationships in the ID and scenarios examining the impact of different response actions on components of spilledoil were investigated in hypothetical scenarios. Given the structure of the ID, potential knowledge gaps included understanding of the movement of oil, the ecological risk of different spill-related stressors to key receptors (e.g., endangered species, fisheries), and the need for stakeholder valuation of the ES benefits that could be impacted by a spill. Framing the Deepwater Horizon problem domain in an ID conceptualized important variables and relationships that could be optimally accounted for in preparing and managing responses in future spills. These features of the developed IDs may assist in better investigating the uncertainty, costs, and the trade-offs if large-scale, deep ocean spills were to occur again. PMID:21875054

When a dispersant is applied to an oil slick, its effectiveness in dispersing the spilledoil depends on various factors such as oil properties, wave mixing energy, temperature of both oil and water, and salinity of the water. Estuaries represent water with varying salinities. In...

Oil release into the ocean may affect marine ecosystems and cause environmental pollution. Thus, oilspill detection and identification becomes critical important. Characterized by synoptic view over large regions, remote sensing has been proved to be a reliable tool for oilspill detection. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery shows returned signal that clearly distinguish oil from oil-free surface under optimal wind conditions, which makes it the most frequent used remote sensing technique in oilspill detection. Algorithms of automatic oilspill detection has already been developed for different SAR sensors, including RADARSAT and ENVISAT. In this study, we want to apply automatic oilspill detection algorithms on TerraSAR-X data which is previously developed for ASAR data. The applied methodology includes two steps as segmentation and classification. First segmentation algorithms compiled by C# have been applied under a Bayesian framework adopting a multi-level logistic. After segmentation different classification methods such as feature selection, filter, and embedded selection have been applied. As a result the used classifiers for oilspill detection will be compared, and the complete processing chain will be evaluated.

Managing oilspill residues washing onto sandy beaches is a common worldwide environmental problem. In this study, we have analyzed the first-arrival oilspill residues collected from two Gulf of Mexico (GOM) beach systems following two recent oilspills: the 2014 Galveston Bay (GB) oilspill, and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oilspill. This is the first study to provide field observations and chemical characterization data for the 2014 GB oilspill. Here we compare the physical and chemical characteristics of GB oilspill samples with DWH oilspill samples and present their similarities and differences. Our field observations indicate that both oilspills had similar shoreline deposition patterns; however, their physical and chemical characteristics differed considerably. We highlight these differences, discuss their implications, and interpret GB data in light of lessons learned from previously published DWH oilspill studies. These analyses are further used to assess the long-term fate of GB oilspill residues and their potential environmental impacts. PMID:25714100

Technique proposed to reduce more quickly, contain, clean up, and remove petroleum products and such other pollutants as raw sewage and chemicals without damage to humans, animals, plants, or the environment. Unique and primary aspect of new technique is use of cryogenic fluid to solidify spill so it can be carried away in solid chunks. Liquid nitrogen (LN2), with boiling point at -320 degrees F (-196 degrees C), offers probably best tradeoff among extreme cold, cost, availability, and lack of impact on environment among various cryogenic fluids available. Other applications include extinguishing fires at such locations as oil derricks or platforms and at tank farms containing such petroleum products as gasoline, diesel fuel, and kerosene.

This study discussed ecological responses to the Penglai oilspills in the Bohai Sea, occurring on June 4, 2011, using MODIS Chlorophyll-a data. After time intervals of 20 days, 12 months and 14 months, phytoplankton blooms appeared at three locations in the surrounding and distant regions of the oilspills in the Bohai Sea. A bloom with high Chlorophyll-a (13.66 mg m-3) spread over an area of 800 km2 on June 18-25, 2011, about 56 km northeast from the location of the oilspills. A pronounced increase in the monthly Chlorophyll-a concentration (6.40 mg m-3) indicating phytoplankton bloom was observed in the Bohai Sea in June 2012. Phytoplankton blooms depend on the amount and composition of oil, toxicity of petroleum hydrocarbons, micro-organisms, and sea ice. The oilspills impact phytoplankton for a long duration, which impacts the marine ecosystem.

In the 1970s and the early 1980s the emphasis of Federally-sponsored oilspill research was on mechanical spill control devices and removal methods such as booms, skimmers, and sorbents, with later efforts also focused on dispersing agents. The preponderance of the work was direc...

Special problems occur during oilspill cleanup in remote inland areas in cold climates. In Alaska these problems result from the harsh climate, the unusual terrain features, and the special problems of spills along swift rivers. The analysis begins with a description of the envi...

Oilspill modeling is considered to be an important part of a decision support system (DeSS) for oilspill combatment and is useful for remedial action in case of accidents, as well as for designing the environmental monitoring system that is frequently set up after major accidents. Many accidents take place in coastal areas, implying that low resolution basin scale ocean models are of limited use for predicting the trajectories of an oilspill. In this study, we target the oilspill in connection with the "Full City" accident on the Norwegian south coast and compare operational simulations from three different oilspill models for the area. The result of the analysis is that all models do a satisfactory job. The "standard" operational model for the area is shown to have severe flaws, but by applying ocean forcing data of higher resolution (1.5 km resolution), the model system shows results that compare well with observations. The study also shows that an ensemble of results from the three different models is useful when predicting/analyzing oilspill in coastal areas.

At the request of the US EPA Oil Program Center, ERD is developing an oilspill model that focuses on fate and transport of oil components under various response scenarios. This model includes various simulation options, including the use of chemical dispersing agents on oil sli...

Oilspill contingency planners need an improved approach to understanding and planning for the human dimensions of oilspills. Drawing on existing literature in social impact assessment, natural hazards, human ecology, adaptive management, global change and sustainability, we develop an integrative approach to understanding and portraying the human dimensions impacts of stressors associated with oilspill events. Our approach is based on three fundamental conclusions that are drawn from this literature review. First, it is productive to acknowledge that, while stressors can produce human impacts directly, they mainly affect intermediary processes and changes to these processes produce human impacts. Second, causal chain modeling taken from hazard management literature provides a means to document how oilspill stressors change processes and produce human impacts. Third, concepts from the global change literature on vulnerability enrich causal models in ways that make more obvious how management interventions lessen hazards and mitigate associated harm. Using examples from recent spill events, we illustrate how these conclusions can be used to diagrammatically portray the human dimensions of oilspills.

Oilspills are one of the major sources of marine pollution; it is important to conduct comprehensive assessment of losses that occur as a result of these events. Traditional methods are required to assess the three parts of losses including cleanup, socioeconomic losses, and environmental costs. It is relatively slow because assessment is complex and time consuming. A relatively quick method was developed to improve the efficiency of assessment, and then applied to the Penglai 19-3 accident. This paper uses an SAR image to calculate the oilspill area through Neural Network Classification, and uses historical oil-spill data to build the relationship between loss and other factors including sea-surface wind speed, and distance to the coast. A multiple regression equation was used to assess oilspill damage as a function of the independent variables. Results of this study can be used for regulating and quickly dealing with oilspill assessment. PMID:25530016

Studies of major oilspills over the past 20 yr have allowed an evolution of our understanding of how to respond to and remediate the environmental impacts from such spills. There have been a number of spills for which follow-up research has provided major turning points that allowed the development of certain rules of oil-spill behavior. For example, the spill of over 100,000 tons of crude oil by the tanker Urquiola on the coast of Spain in May 1976 demonstrated the importance of hydrodynamic energy level in natural cleanup processes. Research on the spill of over 200,000 tons of crude oil along the coast of France by the tanker Amoco Cadiz in March 1978 allowed a better understanding of the long-term effects of spilledoil on exposed tidal flats and salt marshes. The oilspilled by the tanker Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound, Alaska, in March 1989 impacted many miles of gravel beaches, which were treated by a number of methods, including some innovative berm-relocation techniques. A thorough understanding of the coastal geomorphology and processes of the spill site was essential for the development of meaningful contingency and response plans. Research on the impacts of intertidal habitats of the coast of Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War spill of 1991 indicates that some previously held concepts on oil behavior and fate on shorelines must be revised. One of the best established rules of oil-spill behavior was that the depth of oil penetration on sand beaches and tidal flats increases with increasing sediment grain size. However, no such correlation was found on the Saudi Arabian coast, primarily due to the presence of secondary porosity (e.g., bubble sand, extensive burrows, and gypsum crystals). The oil penetrated to depths of tens of centimeters, even in fine sand, which has significantly slowed natural removal processes and weathering rates. These sediments remained heavily oiled with incipient asphalt pavements forming two years after the spill.

A wide variety of cleanup methods has been used following oil spillage in freshwater environments, but in few cases has there been rigorous follow-up assessment of the possible environmental impact of these methods per se. Where impact of cleanup has been considered, it was largely in the context of effectiveness of oil removal, and rarely to determine any negative environmental impact that the cleanup itself might have. A review of a number of documented oilspill incidents in freshwater environments revealed the following. (1) Follow-up monitoring of spill cleanup has not been seen as a formal or integral part of the cleanup procedure, nor as a regular part of either federal or local governmental spill response. (2) Spill response in the freshwater environment has been guided largely by knowledge gained from marine spill response, and from other environmental fields, despite significant differences between freshwater and marine conditions. (3) Cleanup activities do cause environmental impacts, over and above the impact of the oiling. These include impacts on regrowth of shoreline vegetation, entrainment and enhanced persistence of oil into river and marsh sediments, long-term oiling of creek and river beds resulting from certain methodologies, and impacts from disposal of oiled soils. (4) The {open_quotes}no-action{close_quotes} (i.e. self-clean) option does not appear as a formal response in freshwater spill situations, although there are situations where no cleanup may be considered a valid response option (for example, lightly oiled wetlands). (5) {open_quotes}Habitat rarity{close_quotes} as a separate factor in determining spill response, has had little discussion or application. 57 refs., 2 tabs.

Regional air quality around coastal regions, where regular maritime traffic emissions from cargo, other commercial, fishing and military vessels are significantly active, can be affected by their direct emission of primary air pollutants (NOx, SO2, particulate matter (PM), etc.). For instance, harbor traffic exerted an important impact on NO2, SO2, O3, and PM levels. In addition, regional air quality around coastal regions is also affected by oilspill caused by ship accident in the coast. On 7 Dec., 2007, a barge carrying a crane hit the oil tanker MT Hebei Sprit off the west coast of the Republic of Korea, Yellow Sea (approximately 10 km off the coast), at 0700 local time, causing the spill of total estimated 12,547 tons of Iranian heavy (IH) and Kuwait Export (KE) crude oils. Since then, oil began coming on shore late in the night on 7 Dec. More than 150 km of coastline had been identified as being impacted by 17 Dec. Much of the affected area is part of the Taean-gun National Park and the nearest coastal city to spilled area is Taean. On 8 Dec., the flow of oil from the tanker was stopped when the holes were patched. The accident is the worst oilspill in Korea and the spill area is about one-third of the size of the Exxon Valdez oilspill. The short- and long-term effects of oilspill on marine environment have been numerously studied, not on atmospheric environment. In this study, the air quality impact near spilled area by the evaporation of hydrocarbons from the oilspill is studied in detail. The evaporation rates of the volatile fractions of the crude oils released by oilspill were estimated based on their mole fractions of crude oils and mass transfer coefficients. Based on a molecular diffusion process, the flux of spilledoil component (Fivap, mol m-2 s-1) can be expressed as follows: Fivap = Kivap(Civap - C∞vap) (1) where Civap is concentration (mol m-3) of a component i of crude oil vapor in the air at the oil-air interface; C∞vap is the

... spill and develop options to guard against, and mitigate the impact of, any oilspills associated with... National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon OilSpill and Offshore Drilling AGENCY: Department of... meeting of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon OilSpill and Offshore Drilling...

Ageing is the largest risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and soft drusen and basal linear deposits are lipid-rich extracellular lesions specific to AMD. Oil red O binding neutral lipid represents a major age-related deposition in the Bruch membrane (BrM) and the first identified druse component. Decades after these seminal observations, a natural history of neutral lipid deposition has been articulated and a biochemical model proposed. Results obtained with multiple biochemical, histochemical, and ultrastructural methods, and supported indirectly by epidemiology, suggest that the RPE secretes apolipoprotein B (apoB)-lipoprotein particles of unusual composition into BrM, where they accumulate with age eventually forming a lipid wall, a precursor of basal linear deposit. The authors propose that constituents of these lesions interact with reactive oxygen species to form pro-inflammatory peroxidised lipids that elicit neovascularisation. Here, the authors summarise key evidence supporting both accumulation of BrM lipoproteins leading to lesion formation and lipoprotein production by the RPE. The authors update their model with genetic associations between AMD and genes historically associated with plasma HDL metabolism, and suggest future directions for research and therapeutic strategies based on an oil-spill analogy. PMID:21890786

A response alternative for floating vegetable oilspills based on sedimentation of negatively buoyant oil-mineral aggregrates followed by anaerobic biodegradation in the sediments is under investigation. Sedimentation of floating canola oil by interaction with montmorillonite wa...

The spill of diesel oil fuel from an Ashland Oil storage tank in January 1988 on the Monongahela River raised a number of technical, legislative, and administrative issues. These include as assessing long- and short-term environmental damage, evaluating regulations regarding oil ...

On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska. This accident resulted in the largest American oilspill ever and spoiled one of the most pristine areas in North America. In April 1989, the US Army Corps of Engineers was requested to assist in the cleanup of this disastrous oilspill. Two of the Corps' minimum fleet hopper dredges, the Yaquina and the Essayons, were dispatched to assist in collecting oil. Although unmodified hopper dredges had never been used in this capacity, the Yaquina and the Essayons proved to be the most effective tools in the recovery of oil. Given proper air support, adequate containment boom, and commitment at the earliest possible time, hopper dredges can make a significant contribution to the cleanup of large oilspills.

Three separate papers are represented in this final report; Toxicity of intertidal and subtidal sediments contaminated by the Exxon Valdez oilspill; Comparative toxicities of polar and non-polar organic fractions from sediments affected by the Exxon Valdez oilspill in Prince William Sound, Alaska; and Fate of the oilspilled from the T/V Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound, Alaska.

This paper reports on tanker owners which face a growing dilemma on the issue of oilspill liability. The U.S. Oil Pollution Act, passed last year in the wake of the March 1989 Exxon Valdez oilspill, was intended to reduce risk of and damage from such accidents. However, in addition to phasing in double hulls on most tankers operating in U.S. waters, the law substantially increases shipowner's liability for spills. And the federal law does not preempt state liability laws, which in most cases amount to unlimited liability for spill cleanup. Rather than face potentially unlimited liability in the event of a spill, tanker owners worldwide are exercising a number of options to shield themselves. Some of those options could increase the potential for oilspills, industry officials warn. The act also threatens to shatter the international alliance among shippers. A report by Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd., London, says the law could have a devastating effect on operating practices. Tanker owners and operators have voiced the most opposition to the new spill law and the shackles it places on them. Now the industry that insures tankers has spoken up about is increased liability, and it too may launch a boycott.

The report discusses the physical, geological, and biological considerations relevant to oil behavior and oilspill response and cleanup. The intent is to contribute to an informed and effective oilspill response in coastal waters.

This report summarizes results of an oil-spill risk analysis (OSRA) conducted for the proposed lower Cook Inlet Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lease Sale 149. The objective of this analysis was to estimate relative oil-spill risks associated with oil and gas production from the leasing alternatives proposed for the lease sale. The Minerals Management Service (MMS) will consider the analysis in the environmental impact statement (EIS) prepared for the lease sale. The analysis for proposed OCS Lease Sale 149 was conducted in three parts corresponding to different aspects of the overall problem. The first part dealt with the probability of oil-spill occurrence. The second dealt with trajectories of oilspills from potential spill sites to various environmental resources or land segments. The third part combined the results of the first two parts to give estimates of the overall oil-spill risk if there is oil production as a result of the lease sale. To aid the analysis, conditional risk contour maps of seasonal conditional probabilities of spill contact were generated for each environmental resource or land segment in the study area (see vol. 2).

The growing importance of oilspill detection as part of a rapid response system to oil pollution requires the ongoing development of algorithms. The aim of this study was to create a methodology for improving manual classification at the scale of entire water bodies, focusing on its repeatability. This paper took an object-oriented approach to radar image analysis and put particular emphasis on adaptation to the specificity of seas like the Baltic. Pre-processing using optimised filters enhanced the capability of a multilevel hierarchical segmentation, in order to detect spills of different sizes, forms and homogeneity, which occur as a result of shipping activities. Confirmed spills detected in ENVISAT/ASAR images were used to create a decision-tree procedure that classifies every distinct dark object visible in SAR images into one out of four categories, which reflect growing probability of the oilspill presence: look-alikes, dubious spots, blurred spots and potential oilspills. Our objective was to properly mark known spills on ASAR scenes and to reduce the number of false-positives by eliminating (classifying as background or look-alike) as many objects as possible from the vast initial number of objects appearing on full-scale images. A number of aspects were taken into account in the classification process. The method's performance was tested on a group of 26 oilspills recorded by HELCOM: 96.15% of them were successfully identified. The final target group was narrowed down to about 4% of dark objects extracted from ASAR images. Although a specialist is still needed to supervise the whole process of oilspill detection, this method gives an initial view, substantial for further evaluation of the scenes and risk estimation. It may significantly accelerate the pace of manual image analysis and enhance the objectivity of assessments, which are key aspects in operational monitoring systems.

This guidance document has been prepared to assist On-Scene Coordinators (OSCs) and financial management personnel in accessing and using the OilSpill Liability Trust Fund (OSLTF) in orders to conduct oil pollution removal actions under Section 311(c) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Section 1012 of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), and fully accounting for OSLTF funds. This document details the requirments and procedures for use of the OSLTF that are described in the Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Coast Guard for use of the OilSpill Liability Trust Fund (MOU).

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon platform in the Gulf of Mexico exploded. The explosion and fire killed and injured workers on the oil rig, and caused major releases of oil and gas into the Gulf for several months. The Department of Energy, in keeping with the Obama Administrations ongoing commitment to transparency, provided online access to data and information related to the response to the BP oilspill. Included are schematics, pressure tests, diagnostic results, video clips, and other data. There are also links to the Restore the Gulf website, to the trajectory forecasts from NOAA, and oilspill information from the Environmental Protection Agency.

This paper examines the behaviour of a distributed system/robotic swarm concept for the effective confrontation of oilspills. The system described consists of a number of identical robotic units of high-power autonomy that recover oil mechanically and are able to communicate with each other. A mathematical model that accounts for a multitude of oil weathering processes and for the concerted action of the autonomous units is implemented for this investigation. Computational assessment of the robotic swarm in weathering oilspills indicates the potential effectiveness of the method. PMID:18077087

Emergency oil and oil products spills represent a great danger to the environment, including ecosystems, and to the population. New problems of such dangerous spills and methods of early detection are discussed in this paper. It is proposed to conduct assessment of biological hazards of such spills on the basis of data on the distribution of individual oil hydrocarbons within the column of the water body and computer predictions of their toxicity. Oil radioactivity, which is associated with uranium and thorium, is seen as the important aspect of the oilspill danger, especially in watercourses. The need for an automated monitoring system for the early detection of oilspills in water bodies is analysed. The proposed system consists of three subsystems. The first remote sensing subsystem is based on powerful fluorescent lidars; experimental results on lidar registration of oil pollution of water are reported. The second subsystem uses a network of automatic monitoring stations with contact detectors. The third subsystem is the combined sensor system based on remote and contact technologies.

Since ancient times, ships have sunk during storms, either as a result of collisions with other vessels or running onto rocks. However, the ever-increasing importance of crude oil in the twentieth century and the corresponding growth in the world's tanker fleet have drawn attention to the negative implications of sea transport. Disasters involving tankers like the Torrey Canyon or the Amoco Cadiz have shown how dramatic the consequences of such an accident may be. The effects of oilspills at sea depend on numerous factors, such as the physicochemical parameters of the oil, the characteristics of the environment affected, and the physical, chemical, and biological processes occurring there, such as evaporation, dissolution, dispersion, emulsification, photo-oxidation, biodegradation, and sedimentation. The combination of these processes reduces the concentrations of hydrocarbons in sediments and water and alters the chemical composition of spilledoils. In every case, oilspills pose a danger to fauna and flora and cause damage to sea and shores ecosystems. Many of the petroleum-related chemicals that are spilled are toxic, otherwise carcinogenic or can be bioaccumulated in the tissues of marine organisms. Such chemicals may then be biomagnified up the marine food chain from phytoplankton to fish, then to seals and other carnivorous sea mammals. Moreover, oil products can be accumulated and immobilized in bottom deposits for long periods of time. Oilspills are particularly dangerous when they occur in small inland seas that have intense sea traffic, e.g., the Baltic Sea. PMID:20652670

The Deepwater Horizon oilspill was caused by a drilling rig explosion on 20 April 2010 that killed 11 people. It was the largest oilspill in U.S. history and presented an unprecedented threat to Gulf of Mexico marine resources. Although oil gushing to the surface diminished after the well was capped, on 15 July 2010, much remains to be known about the oil and the dispersants beneath the surface, including their trajectories and effects on marine life. A system for tracking the oil, both at the surface and at depth, was needed for mitigation efforts and ship survey guidance. Such a system was implemented immediately after the spill by marshaling numerical model and satellite remote sensing resources available from existing coastal ocean observing activities [e.g., Weisberg et al., 2009]. Analyzing this system's various strengths and weaknesses can help further improve similar systems designed for other emergency responses.

The rapid rise of unconventional oil production during the past decade in the Bakken region of North Dakota raises concerns related to water contamination associated with the accidental release of oil and gas wastewater to the environment. Here, we characterize the major and trace element chemistry and isotopic ratios ((87)Sr/(86)Sr, δ(18)O, δ(2)H) of surface waters (n = 29) in areas impacted by oil and gas wastewater spills in the Bakken region of North Dakota. We establish geochemical and isotopic tracers that can identify Bakken brine spills in the environment. In addition to elevated concentrations of dissolved salts (Na, Cl, Br), spill waters also consisted of elevated concentrations of other contaminants (Se, V, Pb, NH4) compared to background waters, and soil and sediment in spill sites had elevated total radium activities ((228)Ra + (226)Ra) relative to background, indicating accumulation of Ra in impacted soil and sediment. We observed that inorganic contamination associated with brine spills in North Dakota is remarkably persistent, with elevated levels of contaminants observed in spills sites up to 4 years following the spill events. PMID:27119384

A process of cleaning spills of toxic or hazardous materials such as oil, antifreeze, gasoline, and the like from bodies of water, garage floors, roadways and the like, comprising spraying unbonded shredded fiberglass blowing wool composition particles onto the spill, absorbing the spill into the shredded fiberglass blowing wool composition particles, and removing the soaked shredded fiberglass blowing wool composition particles and the spill absorbed therein. An absorbent composition for absorbing spills of toxic or hazardous materials such as oil, antifreeze, gasoline, and like, comprising shredded fiberglass blowing wool particles, and means for absorbing the spill and for stiffening the co-position so that the composition fights against being compressed so that less of the absorbed spill escapes from the composition when it is being removed from the spill, said means including cork particles dispersed in with the fiberglass blowing wool particles. An absorbent sock for absorbing or containing a spill of toxic or hazardous materials such as oil, antifreeze, gasoline, and the like, comprising a hollow tube, said tube being permeable to the toxic or hazardous materials and being made of nylon or polypropylene, and unbonded, shredded fiberglass blowing wool composition particles enclosed in the tube. Apparatus for controlling an oil slick on the surface of water, comprising a craft for traversing the slick, a supply of fiberglass blowing wool composition particles stored on the craft in position for being dispersed, shredding means on the craft for shredding the fiberglass blowing wool particles to form unbonded, shredded fiberglass blowing wool particles, and dispensing means on the craft for dispensing the unbonded, shredded fiberglass blowing wool particles onto the slick.

Recent oilspills have re-demonstrated the range of shoreline impacts that are possible from medium to large spills in the United States, i.e., the Exxon Valdez spill which significantly contaminated over 1000 km of shoreline in Alaska and the Mega Borg, which resulted in widely scattered tar balls over a small area. Immediate and total removal of stranded oil should not always be the primary objective. Instead, shoreline cleanup strategies developed for oilspills need to consider the persistence and short- to long-term persistence of stranded oil. There are several general guidelines on the persistence of stranded oil. High-energy shorelines are rapidly and effectively cleaned by natural processes, although there are micro-environments where oil tends to persist (wave shadows, supratidal zone, rock crevices, etc.). On sand and mixed sand and gravel beaches, oil tends to be buried below clean layers of sediment, but erosional/depositional cycles will result in oil removal, usually within one year. In sheltered environments (wetlands, tidal flats) oil will persist for long periods; therefore, oil removal is frequently required, though it is usually poorly implemented. Cobble/boulder beaches, while usually very complex, present a special problem. They can be found in a range of energy settings, with years between periods of storm activity. These beaches can hold large volumes of oil; they can be a source of long-term ({gt} one year) leaching and sheening; subsurface oil is very difficult to remove by surface treatment methods; and they have poorly understood sedimentation patterns, so it is difficult to predict rates of sediment reworking. Studies of recent oilspills have shown a need for shoreline-specific technologies for these types of beaches.

OilSpill Risk Assessments (OSRAs) are widely employed to support decision making regarding oilspill risks. This article adapts the ISO-compliant OSRA framework developed by Sepp Neves et al. (J Environ Manag 159:158-168, 2015) to estimate risks in a complex scenario where uncertainties related to the meteo-oceanographic conditions, where and how a spill could happen exist and the risk computation methodology is not yet well established (ensemble oilspill modeling). The improved method was applied to the Algarve coast, Portugal. Over 50,000 simulations were performed in 2 ensemble experiments to estimate the risks due to operational and accidental spill scenarios associated with maritime traffic. The level of risk was found to be important for both types of scenarios, with significant seasonal variations due to the the currents and waves variability. Higher frequency variability in the meteo-oceanographic variables were also found to contribute to the level of risk. The ensemble results show that the distribution of oil concentrations found on the coast is not Gaussian, opening up new fields of research on how to deal with oilspill risks and related uncertainties.

OilSpill Risk Assessments (OSRAs) are widely employed to support decision making regarding oilspill risks. This article adapts the ISO-compliant OSRA framework developed by Sepp Neves et al. (J Environ Manag 159:158-168, 2015) to estimate risks in a complex scenario where uncertainties related to the meteo-oceanographic conditions, where and how a spill could happen exist and the risk computation methodology is not yet well established (ensemble oilspill modeling). The improved method was applied to the Algarve coast, Portugal. Over 50,000 simulations were performed in 2 ensemble experiments to estimate the risks due to operational and accidental spill scenarios associated with maritime traffic. The level of risk was found to be important for both types of scenarios, with significant seasonal variations due to the the currents and waves variability. Higher frequency variability in the meteo-oceanographic variables were also found to contribute to the level of risk. The ensemble results show that the distribution of oil concentrations found on the coast is not Gaussian, opening up new fields of research on how to deal with oilspill risks and related uncertainties.

Over two million tonnes of oil are estimated to enter the world's oceans every year. A small percentage, but still a large volume, of this oil strands onshore, where its persistence is governed primarily by the action of physical forces. In some cases, biota influence the persistence of stranded oil or the rate of its weathering. Oil's deleterious effects on biota are frequently related to the persistence and degree of weathering of the oil, with long-lasting effects in low-energy environments such as salt marshes and coastal mangroves, or in higher-energy environments where oil is sequestered. However, an oilspill can have disproportionately large biological effects when it affects key species or processes (e.g., structurally important species, predators, prey, recruitment, or succession). In these cases, the continuing presence of oil is not always a prerequisite for continuing biological effects. There are relatively few long-term studies of the effects of oilspills; data from these suggest that oil can persist for decades in some environments or situations, and that biological effects can be equally persistent. Broad-based, integrated studies have been the most revealing in terms of the importance of direct and indirect effects, spillover effects between different parts of the environment, and continuing linkages between residual oil and biologic effects. Clean-up and treatment techniques applied to spilled or stranded oil can also have significant, long-lasting effects and need to be carefully evaluated prior to use.

Oilspill models are combined with bathymetric, meteorological, oceanographic, and geomorphological data to model a series of oilspill accidents in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. A total of 104 oilspill simulations, computed for 11 different locations in the Levantine Basin, show that oil slicks will reach the coast of Cyprus in four (4) to seven (7) days in summer conditions. Oil slick trajectories are controlled by prevailing winds and current eddies. Based on these results, we support the use of chemical dispersants in the very few hours after large accidental oilspills. As a corollary, we show shoreline susceptibility to vary depending on: a) differences in coastline morphology and exposure to wave action, b) the existence of uplifted wave-cut platforms, coastal lagoons and pools, and c) the presence of tourist and protected environmental areas. Mitigation work should take into account the relatively high susceptibility of parts of the Eastern Mediterranean. PMID:26253313

Although advances have been made in oilspill remote detection, many electro-optic sensors do not provide real-time images, do not work well under degraded visual environments, nor provide a measure of extreme oil thickness in marine environments. A joint program now exists between BSEE and NVESD that addresses these capability gaps in remote sensing of oilspills. Laboratory experiments, calibration techniques, and field tests were performed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Santa Barbara, California; and the Ohmsett Test Facility in Leonardo, New Jersey. Weathered crude oils were studied spectroscopically and characterized with LWIR, and low-light-level visible/NIR, and SWIR cameras. We designed and fabricated an oil emulsion thickness calibration cell for spectroscopic analysis and ground truth, field measurements. Digital night vision cameras provided real-time, wide-dynamic-range imagery, and were able to detect and recognize oil from full sun to partial moon light. The LWIR camera provided quantitative oil analysis (identification) for >1 mm thick crude oils both day and night. Two filtered, co-registered, SWIR cameras were used to determine whether oil thickness could be measured in real time. Spectroscopic results revealed that oil emulsions vary with location and weathered state and some oils (e.g., ANS and Santa Barbara seeps) do not show the spectral rich features from archived Deep Water Horizon hyperspectral data. Multi-sensor imagery collected during the 2015 USCG Airborne OilSpill Remote Sensing and Reporting Exercise and the design of a compact, multiband imager are discussed.

One of the results of the CLEAN SEAS European Union project using SAR imaging of European Coastal Waters was the statistical analysis and detection of thousands of oilspills and slicks in the three compared sections, Baltic Sea, North Sea and N.W. Mediterranean. The results of another European Project, OIL WATCH together with the past 30 years of recorded mayor tanker accidental oilspills have been used in a predictive scheme that subject to spatial and temporal normalization of these two different scale processes clearly shows that the annual probability of the occurence of an oilspill follows Zipf's law. Local deviations from the law may be also explained in terms of multifractal analysis.

Recent gas discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean Sea led to multiple operations with substantial economic interest, and with them there is a risk of oilspills and their potential environmental impacts. To examine the potential spatial distribution of this threat, we created seasonal maps of the probability of oilspill pollution reaching an area in the Israeli coastal and exclusive economic zones, given knowledge of its initial sources. We performed simulations of virtual oilspills using realistic atmospheric and oceanic conditions. The resulting maps show dominance of the alongshore northerly current, which causes the high probability areas to be stretched parallel to the coast, increasing contamination probability downstream of source points. The seasonal westerly wind forcing determines how wide the high probability areas are, and may also restrict these to a small coastal region near source points. Seasonal variability in probability distribution, oil state, and pollution time is also discussed. PMID:25534630

Oil-industry-produced revenues, help finance Alaskan state and local governmental services including education. Capital losses incurred by the Exxon Corporation and by commerical fisheries as a consequence of the Exxon Valdez oilspill caused an economic recession, the result being diminished financing for a number of governmental programs and…

A series of performance tests were conducted at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's OHMSETT test facility with four selected oilspill pickup devices (skimmers). Each of the four skimmers was tested for two weeks with both high and low viscosity oils. The objectives of the...

The Deepwater Horizon accident (DWH) of April 20th, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) released crude oil into the ocean column for 4 months. An estimated 685,000 tons of crude oil was released, making DWH spill the largest accidental spill in maritime history. The immediate impacts of the spill were evident, including oil slicks, fouled beaches and fouled, often dead wildlife. Longer-term impacts are less understood, and reliance on studies of past spills, e.g. Exxon Valdez, may not be applicable given the substantially greater magnitude of DWH (Valdez spilled 37,000 tons) and different environmental settings (predominantly rocky shorelines vs. saltmarsh-dominated coastlines). Many molluscan species exhibit responses to oilspills or other hydrocarbon contamination. Bivalved molluscs are commonly used as bioindicator organisms in part because they concentrate both metals and organic contaminants in their soft tissues. We used the American oyster Crassostrea virginica to measure exposure to and impact of the spill as the abnormal transformation of soft-tissues, or metaplasia. Metaplasia is the reversible transformation of one cell type into another. Molluscan metaplasia has been associated with exposure to petroleum contamination. While oyster epithelium is normally stratified columnar and ciliated, experimental exposures often result in metaplasia of gill, digestive and renal tissues. The occurrence and frequency of metaplasia may also be an indication of the longevity of a spill's impact. For example, individuals of the mussel Mytilus trossulus in Prince William Sound continued to exhibit metaplasia of the digestive gland more than 5 years after the Exxon Valdez spill, with an occurrence directly related to concentrations of PAHs in the animals. We focused on the hypothesis that DWH spill exposure resulted in metaplasia of gill and digestive epithelial tissues, both during and after the spill. Those transformations are eventually reversible, although on an unknown

The identification of the spilledoil is an essential and important part in the investigation and handling of oilspill accidents. The combination of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) and chemometrics is ideal for such a situation. NIR spectroscopy is a powerful and effective technique and qualitative information can be obtained with classification models. Support vector machines (SVM) have been introduced recently in chemometrics and have proven to be powerful in NIR spectra classification tasks, such as material identification and food discrimination. In this work, the SVM is utilized to classify near infrared spectroscopy of simulated spilledoils of gasoline, diesel fuel and kerosene on the marine. A good classification performance is obtained :the identification rate were 100%, 96% and 98% on the test sets respectively.

The impacts of oilspills -- ranging from the large, widely publicized Exxon Valdez tanker incident to smaller pipeline and refinery spills -- have been costly to both the oil industry and the public. For example, the estimated costs to Exxon of the Valdez tanker spill are on the order of $4 billion, including $2.8 billion (in 1993 dollars) for direct cleanup costs and $1.125 billion (in 1992 dollars) for settlement of damages claims caused by the spill. Application of contingent valuation costs and civil lawsuits pending in the State of Alaska could raise these costs appreciably. Even the costs of the much smaller 1991 oilspill at Texaco`s refinery near Anacortes, Washington led to costs of $8 to 9 million. As a result, inexpensive waming, response and remediation technologies could lower oil spin costs, helping both the oil industry, the associated marine industries, and the environment. One means for reducing the impact and costs of oilspills is to undertake research and development on key aspects of the oilspill prevention, warming, and response and remediation systems. To target these funds to their best use, it is important to have sound data on the nature and size of spills, their likely occurrence and their unit costs. This information could then allow scarce R&D dollars to be spent on areas and activities having the largest impact. This report is intended to provide the ``unit cost`` portion of this crucial information. The report examines the three key components of the US oil supply system, namely, tankers and barges; pipelines and refineries; and offshore production facilities. The specific purpose of the study was to establish the unit costs of oilspills. By manipulating this key information into a larger matrix that includes the size and frequency of occurrence of oilspills, it will be possible` to estimate the likely future impacts, costs, and sources of oilspills.

The continued demand for crude oil and related petroleum products along with the resulting upward spiral of the market price of oil have forced oil exploration and production companies to seek out new reserves farther offshore and in deeper waters. The United States is among the top five nations globally in terms of estimated offshore oil reserves and petroleum production. Yet deepwater drilling to extract these reserves is a major engineering challenge for oil companies. Moreover, such drilling activity also comes with a significant environmental risk, and the extremely high pressures associated with deepwater oil wells mean that the mitigation of accidental releases from a deepwater spill is truly a challenging endeavor.

Detecting oilspill from open sea based on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image is a very important work. One of key issues is to distinguish oilspill from "look-alike". There are many existing methods to tackle this issue including supervised and semi-supervised learning. Recent years have witnessed a surge of interest in hypergraph-based transductive classification. This paper proposes combinative hypergraph learning (CHL) to distinguish oilspill from "look-alike". CHL captures the similarity between two samples in the same category by adding sparse hypergraph learning to conventional hypergraph learning. Experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness of CHL in comparison to the state-of-the-art methods and showed that our proposed method is promising.

Ocean forecasting and oilspill modelling and tracking are complex activities requiring specialised institutions. In this work we present a lighter solution based on the Operational Ocean Forecast Python Engine (OOFε) and the oilspill model General NOAA Operational Modelling Environment (GNOME). These two are robust relocatable and simple to implement and maintain. Implementations of the operational engine in three different regions with distinct oceanic systems, using the ocean model Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS), are described, namely the Galician region, the southeastern Brazilian waters and the Texas-Louisiana shelf. GNOME was able to simulate the fate of the Prestige oilspill (Galicia) and compared well with observations of the Krimsk accident (Texas). Scenarios of hypothetical spills in Campos Basin (Brazil) are illustrated, evidencing the sensitiveness to the dynamical system. OOFε and GNOME are proved to be valuable, efficient and low cost tools and can be seen as an intermediate stage towards more complex operational implementations of ocean forecasting and oilspill modelling strategies. PMID:23643409

Crude oil and petroleum products are widespread water and soil pollutants resulting from marine and terrestrial spillages. International statistics of oilspill sizes for all incidents indicate that the majority of oilspills are small (less than 7 tonnes). The major accidents that happen in the oil industry contribute only a small fraction of the total oil which enters the environment. However, the nature of accidental releases is that they highly pollute small areas and have the potential to devastate the biota locally. There are several routes by which oil can get back to humans from accidental spills, e.g. through accumulation in fish and shellfish, through consumption of contaminated groundwater. Although advances have been made in the prevention of accidents, this does not apply in all countries, and by the random nature of oilspill events, total prevention is not feasible. Therefore, considerable world-wide effort has gone into strategies for minimising accidental spills and the design of new remedial technologies. This paper summarizes new knowledge as well as research and technology gaps essential for developing appropriate decision-making tools in actual spill scenarios. Since oil exploration is being driven into deeper waters and more remote, fragile environments, the risk of future accidents becomes much higher. The innovative safety and accident prevention approaches summarized in this paper are currently important for a range of stakeholders, including the oil industry, the scientific community and the public. Ultimately an integrated approach to prevention and remediation that accelerates an early warning protocol in the event of a spill would get the most appropriate technology selected and implemented as early as possible - the first few hours after a spill are crucial to the outcome of the remedial effort. A particular focus is made on bioremediation as environmentally harmless, cost-effective and relatively inexpensive technology. Greater

An evaluation is given of how active and passive microwave sensors can best be used in oilspill detection and assessment. Radar backscatter curves taken over oilspills are presented and their effect on synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery are discussed. Plots of microwave radiometric brightness variations over oilspills are presented and discussed. Recommendations as to how to select the best combination of frequency, viewing angle, and sensor type for evaluation of various aspects of oilspills are also discussed.

The Deepwater Horizon oilspill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 and became the largest accidental marine oilspill in history. Oil leaked continuously between April 20th and July 15th of 2010, releasing about 780, 000m3 of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The oilspill caused extensive economical and ecological damage to the areas it reached, affecting the marine and wildlife habitats along with fishing and tourism industries. For oilspill mitigation efforts, it is important to determine the areal extent, and most recent position of the contaminated area. Satellitebased oil pollution monitoring systems are being used for monitoring and in hazard response efforts. Due to their high accuracy, frequent acquisitions, large area coverage and day-and-night operation Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites are a major contributer of monitoring marine environments for oilspill detection. We developed a new algorithm for determining the extent of the oilspill from multiple SAR images, that are acquired with short temporal intervals using different sensors. Combining the multi-polarization data from Radarsat-2 (C-band), Envisat ASAR (C-band) and Alos-PALSAR (L-band) sensors, we calculate the extent of the oilspill with higher accuracy than what is possible from only one image. Short temporal interval between acquisitions (hours to days) allow us to eliminate artifacts and increase accuracy. Our algorithm works automatically without any human intervention to deliver products in a timely manner in time critical operations. Acquisitions using different SAR sensors are radiometrically calibrated and processed individually to obtain oilspill area extent. Furthermore the algorithm provides probability maps of the areas that are classified as oil slick. This probability information is then combined with other acquisitions to estimate the combined probability map for the spill.

Information on water movement obtained from bimonthly releases of surface and seabed drifters in the San Francisco Bay and adjacent Pacific Ocean is used to understand major processes controlling dispersal of oil after a spill of 3,200 m3 of Bunker C in the bay in January 1971. River-induced nontidal estuarine circulation was the dominant factor controlling net movement of the oilspilled at the entrance of the bay system, reinforcing ebbing tidal currents and causing the seaward movement of floating oil, which followed paths taken by surface drifters released 3 weeks before the spill. In contrast, some oil formed globules which sank to the near-bottom waters, had the same relative buoyancy as seabed drifters, and moved similarly, beaching in eastern San Pablo Bay after being transported landward in the near-bottom waters. No oil or surface drifters floated into the south bay because surface waters were drifting seaward, away from the south bay. Notable seasonally modulated phenomena which must be considered in predicting surface and near-bottom oil drifts of future spills include a summer (low-river discharge period) diminution of the estuarine circulation mechanism in the north and central bayadjacent ocean region and a seasonal reversal in two-layer drift in the south bay.

The bibliography contains citations concerning environmental impacts of oilspills primarily resulting from ship wrecks and oil drilling or exploration. Oilspills in temperate, tropic and arctic zones which affect fresh water, estuarine, and marine environments are included. Cleanup operations and priorities, computer modeling and simulation of oilspills, oilspill investigations, and prediction of oil slick movement in high traffic shipping lanes are among the topics discussed. Microbial degradation of oils, and toxicity studies of oils and oil dispersants affecting aquatic plant and animal life are considered. (Contains 250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

The bibliography contains citations concerning environmental impacts of oilspills primarily resulting from ship wrecks and oil drilling or exploration. Oilspills in temperate, tropic and arctic zones which affect fresh water, estuarine, and marine environments are included. Cleanup operations and priorities, computer modeling and simulation of oilspills, oilspill investigations, and prediction of oil slick movement in high traffic shipping lanes are among the topics discussed. Microbial degradation of oils, and toxicity studies of oils and oil dispersants affecting aquatic plant and animal life are considered. (Contains 250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

The report describes both advanced analytical and biochemical techniques for use with surfactant-based oilspill cleanup agents. It also presents novel aquatic toxicity testing procedures, as well as the results from toxicity testing with the sensitive early life stages of diverse marine organisms. In addition, it describes the metabolic fate, including both tissue and temperature dependence, of a representative surfactant in a marine invertebrate. Finally, it delineates the in vitro effects of surfactant-based oilspill cleanup agents in both marine birds and mammals.

... Deepwater Horizon OilSpill; Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for a... state natural resource trustees for the Deepwater Horizon oilspill (Trustees) intend to prepare a PEIS... discharges from the rig and from the wellhead on the seabed. The Deepwater Horizon oilspill is the...

... DEEPWATER HORIZON OilSpill; Final Phase II Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Review AGENCY: Interior... Addressing Injuries Resulting from the DEEPWATER HORIZON OilSpill (Framework Agreement), notice is hereby... services injured or lost as a result of the DEEPWATER HORIZON oilspill, which occurred on or about...

... Fish and Wildlife Service DEEPWATER HORIZON OilSpill; Final Phase I Early Restoration Plan and... DEEPWATER HORIZON OilSpill (Framework Agreement), notice is hereby given that ] the Federal and State... the DEEPWATER HORIZON oilspill, which occurred on or about April 20, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico....

... Office of the Secretary Exxon Valdez OilSpill Trustee Council; Request for Nominations AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of the Interior. ACTION: Notice SUMMARY: The Exxon Valdez OilSpill Trustee... to the T/V Exxon Valdez oilspill of 1989. Public Advisory Committee members will be selected...

... Deepwater Horizon OilSpill; Draft Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Review AGENCY: Interior. ACTION... Addressing Injuries Resulting from the Deepwater Horizon OilSpill, the Federal and State natural resource... oilspill, which occurred on or about April 20, 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of...

..., and mitigate the impact of, any oilspills associated with offshore drilling in the future. The... National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon OilSpill and Offshore Drilling AGENCY: Department of... meeting of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon OilSpill and Offshore Drilling...

..., and mitigate the impact of, any oilspills associated with offshore drilling in the future. The... National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon OilSpill and Offshore Drilling AGENCY: Department of... meeting for the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon OilSpill and Offshore Drilling...

... options for guarding against, and mitigating the impact of, oilspills associated with offshore drilling... established the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon OilSpill and Offshore Drilling (the... with their ongoing activities in response to the oilspill, shall provide the Commission...

....S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior Deepwater Horizon OilSpill; Draft Phase I Early Restoration... from the Deepwater Horizon OilSpill, the Federal and State natural resource trustee agencies (Trustees... resources and services injured or lost as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oilspill, which occurred on...

... Assess the efforts of lessees/operators to prevent oilspills or prevent substantial threats of such.... 46(a) NTL Notify NRC of all oilspills from owner/ Burden would be included in the 0 operator facility. NRC inventory 46(b) NTL(s) Notify BSEE of oilspills of one barrel 2 61 notifications 122 or...

... National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Deepwater Horizon OilSpill; Proposal of Future Early... Horizon oilspill (Trustees) intend to propose the additional early restoration projects described below... services, and human use services injured or lost as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oilspill...

... Office of the Secretary Exxon Valdez OilSpill Trustee Council; Renewal of the Public Advisory Committee...), following the recommendation and approval of the Exxon Valdez OilSpill Trustee Council, and in consultation... the Exxon Valdez OilSpill Public Advisory Committee. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Court...

An intensification of interest in environmental assessment during the last 2 decades has driven corporate efforts to better document environmental goals, improve environmental management systems, and increase awareness of the environmental and ecological effects of business operations. This trend has been motivated partly by regulatory requirements (such as the Toxics Release Inventory in the United States) and partly by the inclination of some large manufacturing firms to embrace a broader social and environmental mission characterized as "sustainability" or "ecoefficiency." Moreover, the importance of measurable objectives in the US government has been recognized at least since the Government Performance Results Act of 1993, which was intended to both improve the efficiency of government and the confidence of the American public in government managers. However, in management of environmental crises - such as catastrophic oil or chemical spills - development of measurable performance standards has lagged. Consequently, government spill managers are unable to define success in terms that are easily communicated to public and other stakeholder groups, and they could be disadvantaged in their efforts to deploy response resources with maximum efficiency. In this paper, we present a typological review of environmental assessment measures and summarize some of the current practices and strategic goals among federal agencies with regard to oil and chemical spills. A general approach to organizing metrics for oilspill response, restoration, and recovery is also presented. The results could improve planning efforts and communication among different federal, state, and local agencies and public or stakeholder groups involved in spill management. PMID:17695104

During the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oilspill, a wide range of gas and aerosol species were measured from an aircraft around, downwind, and away from the DWH site. Additional hydrocarbon measurements were made from ships in the vicinity. Aerosol particles of respirable sizes were on occasions a significant air quality issue for populated areas along the Gulf Coast. Yields of organic aerosol particles and emission factors for other atmospheric pollutants were derived for the sources from the spill, recovery, and cleanup efforts. Evaporation and subsequent secondary chemistry produced organic particulate matter with a mass yield of 8 ± 4% of the oil mixture reaching the water surface. Approximately 4% by mass of oil burned on the surface was emitted as soot particles. These yields can be used to estimate the effects on air quality for similar events as well as for this spill at other times without these data. Whereas emission of soot from burning surface oil was large during the episodic burns, the mass flux of secondary organic aerosol to the atmosphere was substantially larger overall. We use a regional air quality model to show that some observed enhancements in organic aerosol concentration along the Gulf Coast were likely due to the DWH spill. In the presence of evaporating hydrocarbons from the oil, NOx emissions from the recovery and cleanup operations produced ozone. PMID:22205764

Over the past few years, considerable research has been directed toward the development of mathematical models to describe the behavior of oilspills. A successful model would be of great value in selecting locations for the deployment of containment and collection systems to mitigate the effects of the pollutant on the environment. In this study, a comprehensive stochastic model is formulated to simulate the fate and transport of oilspills. The model consists of a set of algorithms describing the processes of advection, turbulent diffusion, surface spreading, vertical mechanical dispersion, emulsification, and evaporation. Each algorithm is developed separately and is linked to related processes and to environmental and other parameters. The model requires as input the velocity field of the transporting medium. This can be obtained from a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model for tidal and wind-driven currents for the region of interest. The oilspill fate and transport model is used to simulate a surface oilspill in the Abu Ali region on the western side of the Arabian Gulf. The simulation results indicate that the model can predict the fate and transport of oil slicks with reasonable accuracy. 45 refs., 10 figs.

During the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oilspill, a wide range of gas and aerosol species were measured from an aircraft around, downwind, and away from the DWH site. Additional hydrocarbon measurements were made from ships in the vicinity. Aerosol particles of respirable sizes were on occasions a significant air quality issue for populated areas along the Gulf Coast. Yields of organic aerosol particles and emission factors for other atmospheric pollutants were derived for the sources from the spill, recovery, and cleanup efforts. Evaporation and subsequent secondary chemistry produced organic particulate matter with a mass yield of 8 ± 4% of the oil mixture reaching the water surface. Approximately 4% by mass of oil burned on the surface was emitted as soot particles. These yields can be used to estimate the effects on air quality for similar events as well as for this spill at other times without these data. Whereas emission of soot from burning surface oil was large during the episodic burns, the mass flux of secondary organic aerosol to the atmosphere was substantially larger overall. We use a regional air quality model to show that some observed enhancements in organic aerosol concentration along the Gulf Coast were likely due to the DWH spill. In the presence of evaporating hydrocarbons from the oil, NO(x) emissions from the recovery and cleanup operations produced ozone. PMID:22205764

The Deepwater Horizon oilspill in the Gulf of Mexico between April and July 2010 demonstrated the importance of synoptic oil-spill monitoring in coastal environments via remote-sensing methods. This study focuses on terrestrial oil-spill detection and thickness estimation based on hyperspectral images acquired along the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico. We use AVIRIS (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer) imaging spectrometer data collected over Bay Jimmy and Wilkinson Bay within Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA during September 2010. We also employ field-based observations of the degree of oil accumulation along the coastline, as well as in situ measurements from the literature. As part of our proposed spectroscopic approach, we operate on atmospherically- and geometrically-corrected hyperspectral AVIRIS data to extract image-derived endmembers via Minimum Noise Fraction transform, Pixel Purity Index-generation, and n-dimensional visualization. Extracted endmembers are then used as input to endmember-mapping algorithms to yield fractional-abundance images and crisp classification images. We also employ Multiple Endmember Spectral Mixture Analysis (MESMA) for oil detection and mapping in order to enable the number and types of endmembers to vary on a per-pixel basis, in contast to simple Spectral Mixture Analysis (SMA). MESMA thus better allows accounting for spectral variabiltiy of oil (e.g., due to varying oil thicknesses, states of degradation, and the presence of different oil types, etc.) and other materials, including soils and salt marsh vegetation of varying types, which may or may not be affected by the oilspill. A decision-tree approach is also utilized for comparison. Classification results do indicate that MESMA provides advantageous capabilities for mapping several oil-thickness classes for affected vegetation and soils along the Gulf of Mexico coastline, relative to the conventional approaches tested. Oil thickness-mapping results from MESMA

An estimated amount of 210 million gallons of crude oil was released into the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) from April 20th to July 15th 2010 during the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion. The spill caused a tremendous financial, ecological, environmental and health impact and continues to affect the GOM today. Variations in hydrocarbons including alkanes, hopanes and poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can be analyzed to better understand the oilspill and assist in oil source identification. Twenty-one sediment samples*, two tar ball samples and one surface water oil sample were obtained from distinct locations in the GOM and within varying time frames from May to December 2010. Each sample was extracted through the ASE 200 solvent extractor, concentrated down under nitrogen gas, purified through an alumina column, concentrated down again with nitrogen gas and analyzed via GC X GC-TOF MS. Forty-one different hydrocarbons were quantified in each sample. Various hydrocarbon 'fingerprints,' such as parental :alkylate PAH ratios, high molecular weight PAHs: low molecular weight alkane ratios, and carbon preference index were calculated. The initial objective of this project was to identify the relative hydrocarbon contributions of petrogenic sources and combustion sources. Based on the calculated ratios, it is evident that the sediment core taken in October of 2010 was greatly affected by combustion sources. Following the first month of the spill, oil in the gulf was burned in attempts to contain the spill. Combustion related sources have quicker sedimentation rates, and hydrocarbons from a combustion source essentially move into deeper depths quicker than those from a petrogenic source, as was observed in analyses of the October 2010 sediment. *Of the twenty-one sediment samples prepared, nine were quantified for this project.

Conventionally, single-polarization synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors have been used in remote sensing of marine oil pollution. More recent SAR sensors provide dual- or quad-polarization data, increasing the information content in the measurements. In this study, we evaluate multi-polarization SAR data in terms of ability to characterize oilspills and to discriminate oil from other phenomena called look-alikes. During a large scale oil-on-water exercise conducted in the North Sea in June 2011, a unique data set was acquired. Mineral oilspills and simulated biogenic look-alikes were imaged within the same scenes by both Radarsat-2 and TerraSAR-X, only 16 minutes apart. Investigation of multi-polarization features show a potential for discrimination between mineral oil and biogenic slicks. The parameter α1 have previously been used to extract the dielectric constant over natural terrain. In this study, the parameter is evaluated for oilspill characterization and found interesting also for this purpose.

Marcia McNutt reflects on the role of the US Geological Survey (USGS) team following the Deepwater Horizon oilspill. Secretary Salazar asked Marcia McNutt to lead the Flow Rate Technical Group, a team charged by National Incident Commander Adm. Thad Allen with improving estimates of the oil discharge rate from the Macondo well as quickly as possible. Given the unprecedented nature of this spill, the team moved rapidly to deploy every reasonable approach. The team estimated the plume velocity from deep-sea video and from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's acoustic Doppler current profiler. The team calculated the total volume of the spill using aircraft remote sensing. After the unsuccessful top kill attempt in late May, during which large volumes of mud were pumped down the flowing well, an important part of understanding the failure of the procedure was answering the question.

The report describes the effects on the marine and estuarine benthos of no. 2 fuel oilspilled by the barge FLORIDA off West Falmouth, Massachusetts. Analyses of hydrocarbons established that pollution was greatest and most persistent in the intertidal and subtidal zones of Wild ...

Discussions are presented for (1) the mechanism of action of chemical dispersants for oilspills, (2) factors affecting performance of dispersants and its measurement, (3) some common laboratory methods that have been used to test dispersant performance, (4) a brief summary of di...

On 24 March 1989 approximately 11 million gallons of Prudhoe Bay crude oilspilled into the waters of Prince William Sound, Alaska ultimately contaminating nearly 1000 miles of shoreline. pproximately 300 miles of contaminated beach were considered amenable to cleanup by bioremed...

The purpose of this chapter is not to provide an extensive review of the literature on oilspill bioremediation. For that, the reader is referred to Swannell et al. (1996), who have conducted the most exhaustive review I have yet to come across. Other reviews are also av...

Standardized performance tests were conducted at the Environmental Protection Agency's test facility, OHMSETT, with various off-the-shelf inland oil-spill control and clean-up devices. Operability limits were defined and then quantified via testing for eight boom systems and eigh...

The double grounding of the freighter New Carissa, and resultant oilspills, on the central Oregon coast in spring of 1999 caused great concern regarding possible petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contamination of Coos Bay, Alsea Bay, and Yaquina Bay estuaries. Among these concerns wa...

An innovative forecasting system of the coastal marine circulation has been implemented in the Bonifacio Strait area, between Corsica and Sardinia, using a numerical approach to facilitate the rapid planning and coordination of remedial actions to oilspill emergencies at sea by local authorities. Downscaling and nesting techniques from regional to coastal scale and a 3-D hydrodynamic numerical model, coupled with a wind wave model, are the core of the integrated Bonifacio Strait system. Such a system is capable to predict the sea state and the dispersion of hydrocarbon spills in the area, providing the forecasts on oilspills through an easy-to-use graphical user interface. Scenarios and risk maps have been created to identify the most risky areas to oil pollution in relation to vessels traffic. The backward investigation technique has been exploited to trace the most probable area from which pollution was generated. The system has been operationally verified in January 2011 when an oilspill occurred in the area. Finally output data are daily released providing forecasting services to end-users through the web.

This handbook was developed in an easily accessible yet extensive field format for use by federally designated on-scene coordinators (OSC) to guide them in assessing priorities during all phases of an oilspill response. The guidelines presented will enable the OSC to (1) determi...

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the British Petroleum Gulf OilSpill on resource change, psychological stress, and resilience for business owners, residents, and workers in Escambia County, Florida. This study was based on Hobfoll's (1988, 1989) Conservation of Resources theory. All business owners, residents, and…

After the April 20th explosion aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, the world witnessed one of the worst oilspill catastrophes in global history. In an effort to mitigate the disaster, the U.S. government moved quickly to establish a unified command for responding to the spill. Some of the command's most immediate needs were to track the movement of the surface oil slick, establish a baseline measurement of pre-oil coastal ecosystem conditions, and assess potential air quality and water hazards related to the spill. To help address these needs and assist the Federal response to the disaster, NASA deployed several of its airborne and satellite research sensors to collect an unprecedented amount of remotely-sensed data over the Gulf of Mexico region. Although some of these data were shared with the public via the media, much of the NASA data on the disaster was not well known to the Gulf Coast community. The need existed to inform the general public about these datasets and help improve understanding about how NASA's science research was contributing to oilspill response and recovery. With its extensive experience conducting community-oriented remote sensing projects and close ties to organizations around Gulf of Mexico, the NASA DEVELOP National Program stood in a unique position to meet this need.

The environmental threat from oilspills remains significant across the globe and particularly in regions of high oil production and transport such as the Gulf. The ultimate damage caused can be limited by mitigation actions that responders deploy. The responsible and appropriate use of oilspill treatment products (e.g. dispersants, sorbents etc.) can offer response options that can result in substantial net environmental benefit. However, the approval and choice of what products to use needs careful consideration. The United Kingdom has had in place a statutory approval scheme for oilspill treatment products for 30 years. It is based on measures of efficiency and environmental acceptability. Two toxicity tests form an integral part of the assessment, the Sea test and the Rocky Shore test, and work on the premise that approved products will not make the situation significantly worse when added to spilledoil. This paper outlines the UK approach and how its rationale might be applied to the approval of products specific for the Gulf region. Issues such as species choice, higher temperatures and salinity and regional environmental conditions are considered. PMID:18433797

Seabirds are vulnerable to oil pollution, particularly in cold-water regions. We investigated the response of small spills (<7.95m(3)) at offshore production platforms in Newfoundland, a region recognized for seabird diversity and abundance. In three environmental assessments for oil production operations Environment Canada requested monitoring and mitigation of small spills potentially impacting seabird populations; suggestions supported by two independent reviews. An industry spill response plan states that operators would collect systematic observations on spills and deploy countermeasures where possible. Operators' spill reports were obtained under an Access to Information request. There were 220 daytime spills with sheens (out of 381 spills; 1997-2010). Of these, six reported time to oil dispersion and eleven the presence or absence of seabirds. Industry self-reporting has not permitted an evaluation of the impact of chronic oilspills on seabirds. We recommend that independent observers be placed on platforms to systematically collect data on spills and seabirds. PMID:27131965

The results of a series of studies conducted to determine the practicability and feasibility of using dispersants to mitigate the impact of an oilspill on the environment are described. The method of approach is holistic in that it combines the physical, chemical, microbial and macro-fauna response to a spill treated with dispersants and compares this with spills that are left untreated. The program integrates mathematical, laboratory, meso-scale (three 20 foot high by three feet in diameter tanks, in-situ experiments and analyses to determine if the use of dispersants is an effective oilspill control agent. In summary, it appears viable to use dispersants as determined on a case by case basis. The case for using dispersants has to be based on whether or not their use will mitigate the environmental impact of the spill. In the case of an open ocean spill that is being driven into a rich inter-tidal community, the use of dispersants could greatly reduce the environmental impact. Even in the highly productive George's Bank area at the height of the cod spawning season, the impact of the use of dispersants is well within the limits of natural variability when the threshold toxicity level is assumed to be as low as 100 ppB, a level which is often found in the open ocean. Thus, it appears that dispersants can and should be used when it is evident that their use will mitigate the impacts of the spill. Their use in areas where there is poor circulation and therefore little possibility of rapid dilution is more questionable and should be a subject of future studies.

Today, in the Mediterranean theater of the Upper Tyrrhenian, the ecological risk involving oil installations is still quite high. This is due to the fact that valuable environmental and tourist areas exist together with large industrial and port structures; in particular, recent events have demonstrated the danger involving oilspills along the Ligurian coastline. This study proposes an approach to plan the operations that should be performed when accidents occur, based on the use of AI techniques.

Based on raw kapok fiber, two kinds of oil absorbers with high sorption capacity were prepared by a facile solution-immersion process. The coated polymer with low surface energy and rough fiber surface play important role in the retention of oil. The as-prepared fiber can quickly absorb gasoline, diesel, soybean oil, and paraffin oil up to above 74.5%, 66.8%, 64.4% and 47.8% of oil sorption capacity of raw fiber, respectively. The absorbed oils can be easily recovered by a simple vacuum filtration and the recovered coated-fiber still can be used for several cycles without obvious loss in oil sorption capacity. The thermodynamic study indicates that the adsorption process is spontaneous and exothermic, with complex physisorption and chemisorption. The results suggest that the coated fiber can be used as a low-cost alternative for the removal of oilspilled on water surface. PMID:23419751

Historical trends about marine ship-source oilspill incidents from 1990 to 2010 in China were analyzed, and it provided an overview of the status quo of China's management in response to marine oilspill from ships. The Chinese government has issued a series of laws on marine environmental protection since 1982, and promulgated many regulations to prevent and tackle ship-source oilspill. At present, the oilspill emergency response system established in China has five levels: the national level, sea level, provincial level, port level, and ship level. China has demonstrated its ability to control and remove small-scale oilspill from ships in port area and near-shore coastal waters, and also paid attention to related research and development projects. Although China has made significant progress in managing shipping oilspill, challenges still exist, including strengthening oilspill emergency cooperation, enhancing China's response capability, and improving relevant research and development projects. PMID:26003384

After the Hebei Spirit oilspill in December 2007, mixtures of three types of Middle East crude oil were stranded along 375 km of coastline in Western Korea. Stranded oils were monitored for their identity and weathering status in 19 stations in three provinces. The results obtained using a weathering model indicated that evaporation would be a dominant weathering process immediately after the spill and the sequential changes of chemical composition in the field verified this prediction positively. In the early stages of weathering, the half-life of spilledoil was calculated to be 2.6 months. Tiered fingerprinting approaches identified background contamination and confirmed the identity of the stranded oils with the spill source. Double ratios using alkylated phenanthrenes and dibenzothiophenes in samples after the spill clearly reveal the impact of weathering on oil. However, to derive defensible fingerprinting for source identification and allocation, recalcitrant biomarkers are extremely useful. Weathering status of the stranded oils was evaluated using composition profiles of saturated hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and various weathering indices. Most samples collected 8 months after the spill were categorized in either the advanced or extreme weathering states. Gradual increase in toxic components in the residual oil through weathering emphasizes the need for adaptive ecotoxicological approaches. PMID:21996619

Industry is scrambling to cope with history's biggest oilspill against the backdrop of a Persian Gulf war and a softening oil market. U.S. and Saudi Arabian officials accused Iraq of unleashing an oilspill of about 11 million bbl into the Persian Gulf off Kuwait last week by releasing crude from the giant Sea Island tanker loading terminal at Mina al Ahmadi. Smart bombs delivered by U.S. aircraft hit two onshore tank farm manifold stations, cutting off the terminal's source of oil flow Jan. 26. A small volume of oil was still leaking from 13 mile feeder pipelines to the terminal at presstime. Press reports quoted U.S. military and Saudi officials as estimating the slick at 35 miles long and 10 miles wide but breaking up in some areas late last week. Meantime, Iraq reportedly opened the valves at its Mina al Bakr marine terminal at Fao to spill crude into the northern gulf. BBC reported significant volumes of crude in the water off Fao 24 hr after the terminal valves were opened. Mina al Bakr is a considerably smaller terminal than Sea Island, suggesting that the resulting flow of oil would be smaller than that at Sea Island.

On April 20, 2010, an explosion led to a rupture of the wellhead underneath the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) drilling platform. In addition to impacts on marine life and coasts, the resulting oilspill and cleanup operations also affected air quality. We measured a wide range of gas and aerosol species in the air close to and downwind of the DWH site. Among all of the measured species, the most important air quality concern for populations along the Gulf coast and inland was aerosols in respirable sizes. Since the measured gas-phase hydrocarbons were distributed in a fairly narrow plume evaporating from fresh surface oil and organic aerosol was measured in a much broader plume, the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) evidently formed from unmeasured, less volatile hydrocarbons that were emitted from a wider area around the site. Older surface oil near the coasts of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida had little effect on SOA formation. The SOA mass increased with distance downwind of the DWH site. Preliminary results indicate that at least a few percent by mass of the spilledoil is converted into SOA. From the flaring, surface recovery, and cleanup operations, initial calculations of emission ratios also indicate that a few percent by mass of oil burned on the surface was emitted as black carbon aerosols. These organic and black carbon aerosols from the DWH oilspill influence local visibility and radiation and have potential health effects. Furthermore, they likely occasionally reached populated areas at concentrations that were a significant fraction of air quality standards.

This segment describes: oil well production facilities, equipment, and processes; gathering line systems and crude oil truck transport; crude oil pipeline systems and inspection of non-transportation-related components; oil storage at terminals and tank farms; and inspection and SPCC requirements at these sites.

The use of bioremediation as a supplemental cleanup technology in the Exxon Valdez oilspill, in Prince William Sound, Alaska, has proven to be a good example of the problems and successes associated with the practical application of this technology. ield studies conducted by sci...

Increasing interest in offshore hydrocarbon exploration has pushed the operational fronts associated with exploration efforts further offshore into deeper waters and more uncertain subsurface settings. This has become particularly common in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. In this study we develop a spatial vulnerability approach and example assessment to support future spill prevention and improve future response readiness. This effort, which is part of a larger integrated assessment modeling spill prevention effort, incorporated economic and environmental data, and utilized a novel new oilspill simulation model from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory, the Blowout and Spill Occurrence Model (BLOSOM). Specifically, this study demonstrated a novel approach to evaluate potential impacts of hypothetical spill simulations at varying depths and locations in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The simulations are analyzed to assess spatial and temporal trends associated with the oilspill. The approach itself demonstrates how these data, tools and techniques can be used to evaluate potential spatial vulnerability of Gulf communities for various spill scenarios. Results of the hypothetical scenarios evaluated in this study suggest that under conditions like those simulated, a strong westward push by ocean currents and tides may increase the impacts of deep water spills along the Texas coastline, amplifying the vulnerability of communities on the local barrier islands. Ultimately, this approach can be used further to assess a range of conditions and scenarios to better understand potential risks and improve informed decision making for operators, responders, and stakeholders to support spill prevention as well as response readiness.

Hurricanes increase the risk of oilspills in the Caribbean region, a situation which the United Nations and affected islands recognize as requiring cooperative efforts to prevent and control. As shipping activity increases in the Caribbean, the threat is intensified by the small size and poverty of the area's islands, which depend heavily on tourist and fishing industries. The annual 250 million tons of crude oil shipped to or through the Caribbean can be expected to average 21 spills of 1000 tons within 50 miles of land and pose serious ecological and economic threats. A contingency plan based on cooperation and shared resources to deal with spills would not be expensive because the liability laws and compensation rights are clearly defined. The technologies available to combat oilspills range from biological agents to sweeping equipment. Response can be prompt, but the political and economic aspects are more delicate. A regional plan formulated by the islands and countries involved still needs to have formal intergovernmental agreements signed. (DCK)

The accident of the Prestige oil tanker in 2002 contaminated approximately 900 km of the coastline along the northern Spanish shore, as well as parts of Portugal and France coast, with a mixture of heavy crude oil consisting of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, alkanes, asphaltenes and resins. The capacity of the autochthonous bacterial communities to respond to the oilspill was assessed indirectly by determining the hydrocarbon profiles of weathered oil samples collected along the shore, as well as through isotope ratios of seawater-dissolved CO2, and directly by analyses of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis fingerprints and 16S rRNA gene libraries. Overall, the results evidenced biodegradation of crude oil components mediated by natural bacterial communities, with a bias towards lighter and less substituted compounds. The changes observed in the Proteobacteria, the most abundant phylum in marine sediments, were related to the metabolic profiles of the sediment. The presence of crude oil in the supratidal and intertidal zones increased the abundance of Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria, dominated by the groups Sphingomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae and Chromatiales, whilst Gamma- and Deltaproteobacteria were more relevant in subtidal zones. The phylum Actinobacteria, and particularly the genus Rhodococcus, was a key player in the microbial response to the spill, especially in the degradation of the alkane fraction. The addition of inorganic fertilizers enhanced total biodegradation rates, suggesting that, in these environments, nutrients were insufficient to support significant growth after the huge increase in carbon sources, as evidenced in other spills. The presence of bacterial communities able to respond to a massive oil input in this area was consistent with the important history of pollution of the region by crude oil. PMID:25869434

Marine environments are frequently exposed to oilspills as a result of transportation, oil drilling or fuel usage. Whereas large oilspills and their effects have been widely documented, more common and recurrent small spills typically escape attention. To fill this important gap in the assessment of oil-spill effects, we performed two independent supervised full sea releases of 5 m(3) of crude oil, complemented by on-board mesocosm studies and sampling of accidentally encountered slicks. Using rapid on-board biological assays, we detect high bioavailability and toxicity of dissolved and dispersed oil within 24 h after the spills, occurring fairly deep (8 m) below the slicks. Selective decline of marine plankton is observed, equally relevant for early stages of larger spills. Our results demonstrate that, contrary to common thinking, even small spills have immediate adverse biological effects and their recurrent nature is likely to affect marine ecosystem functioning. PMID:27041738

Marine environments are frequently exposed to oilspills as a result of transportation, oil drilling or fuel usage. Whereas large oilspills and their effects have been widely documented, more common and recurrent small spills typically escape attention. To fill this important gap in the assessment of oil-spill effects, we performed two independent supervised full sea releases of 5 m3 of crude oil, complemented by on-board mesocosm studies and sampling of accidentally encountered slicks. Using rapid on-board biological assays, we detect high bioavailability and toxicity of dissolved and dispersed oil within 24 h after the spills, occurring fairly deep (8 m) below the slicks. Selective decline of marine plankton is observed, equally relevant for early stages of larger spills. Our results demonstrate that, contrary to common thinking, even small spills have immediate adverse biological effects and their recurrent nature is likely to affect marine ecosystem functioning. PMID:27041738

The March 24, 1989, grounding of the Exxon Valdez on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, was unprecedented in scale. So too was Exxon's response to the oilspill and the subsequent shoreline cleaning program, including the employment of more than 11,000 people, utilization of essentially the entire world supply of containment booms and skimmers, and an expenditure of more than two billion dollars. In the days immediately following the Valdez spill, Exxon mobilized a massive environmental assessment program. A large field and laboratory staff of experienced environmental professionals and internationally recognized experts was assembled that included intertidal ecologists, fishery biologists, marine and hydrocarbon chemists. This field program to measure spill impacts and recovery rates was initiated with the cooperation of state and federal agencies. Through the end of 1989, this program has resulted in well over 45,000 separate samples of water, sediment, and biota used to assess spill impacts. This paper provides initial observations and preliminary conclusions from several of the 1989 studies. These conclusions are based on factual, scientific data from studies designed to objectively measure the extent of the impacts from the spill. Data from these studies indicate that wildlife and habitats are recovering from the impacts of the spill and that commercial catches of herring and salmon in Prince William Sound are at record high levels. Ecosystem recovery from spill impacts is due to the combined efforts of the cleanup program as well as natural physical, chemical, and biological processes. From all indications this recovery process can be expected to continue.

Oilspills in the ocean are a serious marine disaster that needs regular monitoring for environmental risk assessment and mitigation. Recent use of Polarimetric SAR imagery in near real time oilspill detection systems is associated with attempts towards automatic and unambiguous oilspill detection based on decomposition methods. Such systems integrate remote sensing technology, geo information, communication system, hardware and software systems to provide key information for analysis and decision making. Geographic information systems (GIS) like BHUVAN can significantly contribute to oilspill management based on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images. India has long coast line from Gujarat to Bengal and hundreds of ports. The increase in shipping also increases the risk of oilspills in our maritime zone. The availability of RISAT-1 SAR images enhances the scope to monitor oilspills and develop GIS on Bhuvan which can be accessed by all the users, such as ships, coast guard, environmentalists etc., The GIS enables realization of oilspill maps based on integration of the geographical, remote sensing, oil & gas production/infrastructure data and slick signatures detected by SAR. SAR and GIS technologies can significantly improve the realization of oilspill footprint distribution maps. Preliminary assessment shows that the Bhuvan promises to be an ideal solution to understand spatial, temporal occurrence of oilspills in the marine atlas of India. The oilspill maps on Bhuvan based GIS facility will help the ONGC and Coast Guard organization.

Oilspill remediation aims to enhance the natural process of microbial hydrocarbon biodegradation. The microbial foundations have been studied throughout this century, but the focus of most of this work has been on the degradation of well defined compounds by well defined microbial species. This paper addresses laboratory studies on crude oil biodegradation by microbial consortia obtained from oiled beaches in Prince William Sound, Alaska following the spill from the Exxon Valdez. It demonstrates that oil degradation is indeed likely to be nitrogen-limited in Prince William Sound, the different molecular classes in crude oil that are subjected to biodegradation, the identification of conserved species in the oil that can be used for assessing biodegradation and bioremediation in the field, the effectiveness of fertilizers in stimulating sub-surface biodegradation, the role of the olephilic fertilizer Inipol EAP22, and the identification of the oil-degrading microorganisms in Prince William Sound. Together, these laboratory studies provided guidance and important insights into the microbial phenomena underlying the successful bioremediation of the oiled shorelines.

In contrast to local perceptions, the impact on the local Galápagos artisanal fishery of the 16 January 2001 grounding of the Jessica and subsequent oilspill was relatively minor. No significant changes in fishing effort, total fishing catches or catch-per-unit effort were detected after the spill based on analyses of fisheries monitoring data. Nevertheless, large boats tended to move away from sites near the path of the spill following the grounding in 2001, with no fishing recorded from the oil-affected regions of Floreana and southern Isabela in February 2001. The total fishing effort of small boats operating from the Jessica-grounding island of San Cristóbal also declined immediately after the spill, probably in part because such boats were used in clean up operations. During 2001, prices paid to fishers remained stable at levels higher than in 2000, with the notable anomaly that prices fell precipitously to 30% of previous levels during a 1-2 week period in early February 2001. Fish exports remained at similar levels for the years 2000 and 2001; however, as in the previous year, little fish product was exported from Galápagos in the month following the spill, with most fish product dried and stored for up to two months prior to transport to the continent. PMID:12810096

In 2001 and 2003, geospatial surveys of lingering oil were conducted in Prince William Sound (PWS) resulting in a prediction of significant acreage being contaminated with substantial subsurface oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdezoilspill (EVOS). In 2007, other researchers d...

Marine oilspill disasters may be related to natural hazards, when storms and hurricanes cause the sinking of tankers carrying crude or refined oil, as well as to human action, as illegal discharges, assessment errors (failures or collisions) or acts of warfare. Their consequence has a devastating effects on the marine and coastal environment. In order to reduce the environmental impact of such kind of hazard, giving to local authorities necessary information of pollution entity and evolution, timely detection and continuously updated information are fundamental. Satellite remote sensing can give a significant contribution in such a direction. Nowadays, SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) technology has been recognized as the most efficient for oilspill detection and description, thanks to the high spatial resolution and all-time/weather capability of the present operational sensors. Anyway, the actual SARs revisiting time does not allow a rapid detection and near real-time monitoring of these phenomena at global scale. The COSMO-Skymed Italian dual-mission (expected in the 2010) will overcome this limitation improving the temporal resolution until 12 hours by a SAR constellation of four satellites, but several open questions regarding costs and global delivery policy of such data, might prevent their use in an operational context. Passive optical sensors, on board meteorological satellites, thanks to their high temporal resolution (from a few hours to 15 minutes, depending on the characteristics of the platform/sensor), may represent, at this moment, a suitable SAR alternative/complement for oilspill detection and monitoring. Up to now, some techniques have been proposed for mapping known oilspill discharges monitoring using optical satellite data, on the other hand, reliable satellite methods for an automatic and timely detection of oilspill are still currently missing. Existing methods, in fact, can localize the presence of an oilspill only after an alert and

The primary lesson of the Exxon Valdez spill is that oilspill prevention and response technologies need substantial, sustained research and development. There must be adequate amounts of equipment in place in time to properly respond to an oilspill. Management systems need to be improved so they effectively use these technologies. The combination of inadequate technology, insufficient amounts of response equipment, and ineffective management of the available resources produced serious problems in the initial response. Exxon eventually deployed large amounts of equipment and personnel. By the time the long-term shoreline treatment phase began, Exxon had also improved the management of its operations. However, at that point, much of the damage had already occurred. The extent of injury to natural resource is now being assessed through scientific studies. Based on the results of these studies, the final step in the response will be restoration projects which are now in the planning stage. In light of the experience with the Exxon Valdez spill, state and federal laws have been strengthened to provide better prevention measures, response planning, and in-region cleanup capacity. As with most pollution problems, prevention - through both management and technology - should be the first line of defense.

A high-capacity oil sorbent was fabricated by electrospinning using PS/PAN blend. Morphology, contact angle and oil adsorption of PAN/PS fiber and PP nonwoven fabric were studied. It was found that the PAN/PS fiber had a smaller diameter than PP, and the maximum sorption capacities of the PAN/PS sorbent for pump oil, peanut oil, diesel, and gasoline were 194.85, 131.7, 66.75, and 43.38 g/g, which were far higher than those of PP. The sorbent PS/PAN fiber showed a contact angle of water144.32° and diesel oil 0°. The sorption kinetics of PAN/PS and PP sorbent were also investigated. Compared with the commercial PP fabric, the PAN/PS fiber seems to have the ability to be used in oil-spill cleanup application.

Studies on multi-group multi-criteria decision-making problems for oilspill contingency management are in their infancy. This paper presents a second-order fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE) model to resolve decision-making problems in the area of contingency management after environmental disasters such as oilspills. To assess the performance of different oil combat strategies, second-order FCE allows for the utilization of lexical information, the consideration of ecological and socio-economic criteria and the involvement of a variety of stakeholders. On the other hand, the new approach can be validated by using internal and external checks, which refer to sensitivity tests regarding its internal setups and comparisons with other methods, respectively. Through a case study, the Pallas oilspill in the German Bight in 1998, it is demonstrated that this approach can help decision makers who search for an optimal strategy in multi-thread contingency problems and has a wider application potential in the field of integrated coastal zone management. PMID:16343765

The oil company operates North Sea Oil Production Platforms which have several subsea developments connected by subsea pipelines. A specialist research institute was contracted by the company to obtain reference crude oil fingerprints for each subsea oil pipeline and store this information in a specially constructed computer database and fingerprint matching system. Both crews from the platform`s stand-by vessels were then trained in the correct procedures for sampling small slicks at sea, with laboratory validation of samples collected during the training exercise. Subsequently, during two incidents of leaking subsea pipelines, oilspill samples were taken by stand-by vessel crews. Analysis of the samples onshore, followed by computer comparison of their fingerprints to those of the reference oils in the database, allowed early identification of the leaking pipeline prior to confirmation by ROV inspection. Oilspill fingerprinting proved a highly cost effective tool, ensuring optimum use of expensive DSV/ROV mobilization and use. It also permitted pipelines not implicated in the leak to be rapidly put back into operation.

A sorbent for oilspill cleanup was prepared through a novel strategy by treating polyurethane sponges with silica sol and gasoline successively. The oil sorption capacity, oil/water selectivity, reusability and sorption mechanism of prepared sorbent were studied. The results showed that the prepared sorbent exhibited high sorption capacity and excellent oil/water selectivity. 1g of the prepared sorbent could adsorb more than 100 g of motor oil, while it only picks up less than 0.1 g of water from an oil-water interface under both static and dynamic conditions. More than 70% of the sorption capacity remained after 15 successive sorption-squeezing cycles, which suggests an extraordinary high reusability. The prepared sorbent is a better alternative of the commercial polypropylene sorbent which are being used nowadays. PMID:24856092

The devastating environmental impacts of the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 and its media notoriety made it a frequent comparison to the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the popular press in 2010, even though the nature of the two spills and the environments impacted were vastly different. Fortunately, unlike higher organisms that are adversely impacted by oilspills, microorganisms are able to consume petroleum hydrocarbons. These oil degrading indigenous microorganisms played a significant role in reducing the overall environmental impact of both the Exxon Valdez and BP Deepwater Horizon oilspills. PMID:21699212

The devastating environmental impacts of the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 and its media notoriety made it a frequent comparison to the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the popular press in 2010, even though the nature of the two spills and the environments impacted were vastly different. Fortunately, unlike higher organisms that are adversely impacted by oilspills, microorganisms are able to consume petroleum hydrocarbons. These oil degrading indigenous microorganisms played a significant role in reducing the overall environmental impact of both the Exxon Valdez and BP Deepwater Horizon oilspills. PMID:21699212

The effect of a large scale oilspill disaster on the academic achievement and classroom behavior of children and adolescents who lived on the Galician coast (Spain) is studied from an ecological perspective. 430 participants divided into three age groups of 5, 10, and 15 years of age, were studied. The participants came from three areas differently affected by the disaster. Dependent variables were academic achievement and classroom behavior of the participants after the Prestige disaster. Degree of exposure and other protective or risk factors were investigated as well. Repeated measures ANOVA to assess the main effects of the oilspill and hierarchical regression analyses to assess the contribution of the protective/vulnerability factors were performed. The results indicate that the effects of the disaster were relatively scarce. Some protective factors accounted for a certain degree of variance of different schoolroom behaviors. These results point to the intervention of protective factors in the adaptation to the disaster. PMID:23156914

On Saturday, July 28, 1990, a train of barges collided with the Greek tanker Shinoussa in Galveston Bay off Red Fish Island near Texas City, Texas. The first barge sank and the second began to leak while the third barge in the chain and the Shinoussa both escaped without damage. The NASA Flight Science Support Office sponsored a graduate student from SUNY - College of Environmental Science and Forestry and a student from Texas, to survey the damage. The purpose of these surveys was to correlate aircraft base data with orbital data obtained during the Space Shuttle Polarization Experiment and existing laboratory data to evaluate the potential for an application such as oilspill monitoring and mapping. NASA has no charter with the local response agencies to support oilspill monitoring and cleanup.

The NASA Applied Sciences Program created the Gulf of Mexico Initiative (GOMI) in 2007 "to enhance the region s ability to recover from the devastating hurricanes of 2005 and to address its coastal management issues going into the future." The GOMI utilizes NASA Earth science assets to address regional priorities defined by the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, a partnership formed by the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, along with 13 federal agencies and 4 regional organizations to promote regional collaboration and enhance the ecological and economic health of the Gulf of Mexico. NASA's GOMI is managed by the Applied Science and Technology Project Office at Stennis Space Center and has awarded over $18 million in Gulf of Mexico research since 2008. After the Deepwater Horizon oilspill, GOMI personnel assisted members of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance with obtaining NASA remote sensing data for use in their oilspill response efforts.

An analysis was made of the relative impact to the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico from proposed Federal Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas leasing activity. An oilspill trajectory model was coupled with a land segment vulnerability characterization to predict the risks to the shoreline. Such a technique allows spatial and temporal variability in oilspill sensitivity to be represented and combined with the likelihood of oilspill contact to specific coastal segments in the study area. Predicted relative impact was greatest along the coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Useful information is provided for environmental impact analysis, as well as oilspill response planning.

Increasing interest in offshore hydrocarbon exploration has pushed the operational fronts associated with exploration efforts further offshore into deeper waters and more uncertain subsurface settings. This has become particularly common in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. In this study we develop a spatial vulnerability approach and example assessment to support future spill prevention and improve future response readiness. This effort, which is part of a larger integrated assessment modeling spill prevention effort, incorporated economic and environmental data, and utilized a novel new oilspill simulation model from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory, the Blowout and Spillmore » Occurrence Model (BLOSOM). Specifically, this study demonstrated a novel approach to evaluate potential impacts of hypothetical spill simulations at varying depths and locations in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The simulations are analyzed to assess spatial and temporal trends associated with the oilspill. The approach itself demonstrates how these data, tools and techniques can be used to evaluate potential spatial vulnerability of Gulf communities for various spill scenarios. Results of the hypothetical scenarios evaluated in this study suggest that under conditions like those simulated, a strong westward push by ocean currents and tides may increase the impacts of deep water spills along the Texas coastline, amplifying the vulnerability of communities on the local barrier islands. Ultimately, this approach can be used further to assess a range of conditions and scenarios to better understand potential risks and improve informed decision making for operators, responders, and stakeholders to support spill prevention as well as response readiness.« less

OilSpills represent one of the most harmful events to marine ecosystems and their timely detection is crucial for their mitigation and management. The potential of satellite data for their detection and monitoring has been largely investigated. Traditional satellite techniques usually identify oilspill presence applying a fixed threshold scheme only after the occurrence of an event, which make them not well suited for their prompt identification. The Robust Satellite Technique (RST) approach, in its oilspill detection version (RST-OIL), being based on the comparison of the latest satellite acquisition with its historical value, previously identified, allows the automatic and near real-time detection of events. Such a technique has been already successfully applied on data from different sources (AVHRR-Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer and MODIS-Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) showing excellent performance in detecting oilspills both during day- and night-time conditions, with an high level of sensitivity (detection also of low intensity events) and reliability (no false alarm on scene). In this paper, RST-OIL has been implemented on MODIS thermal infrared data for the analysis of the Montara Platform (Timor Sea - Australia) oilspill disaster occurred in August 2009. Preliminary achievements are presented and discussed in this paper.

Oil pollution of coastal zones is an almost daily event associated with offshore oil exploitation pipeline seeps routine tanker operations and marine traffic in general The long-term effects of this chronic pollution are arguably more harmful to the coastal environment than any single large-scale accident The ability to monitor it more reliably would thus represent a highly desirable contribution to any environmental information system The best way of monitoring this chronic oil pollution would be a constant satellite-based system Various satellites equipped with active and passive sensors working at microwave infrared and optical frequencies have been launched recently and now provide numerous images of most parts of the world oceans Among the many different sensors synthetic aperture radar SAR is possibly the most suited for oilspill monitoring because of its high ground resolution and independence of cloud and light conditions SAR is an excellent tool to monitor and detect oil on the water surface Oil appears as dark patches on SAR images because of the damping effect of the oil on the backscattered radar signal Nevertheless detection based only on SAR data is still problematic because of the difficulty in distinguishing oil slicks especially at lower wind speeds from other phenomena known as oil look-alikes Phenomena giving rise to look-alikes include bioorganic films areas of wind-shadow near coasts rain cells zones of upwelling internal waves and oceanic or atmospheric fronts The contrast between a spill and the

This conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia on April 26--28, 1993. The purpose of the conference was to provide a multidisciplinary forum for exchange of state-of-the-art information on the transport and environmental effects, effects on fisheries and wildlife and remediation of the Exxon Valdez oilspill. Individual papers have been processed separately for inclusion in the appropriate data bases.

The purpose of the proposed action analyzed in this final environmental impact statement (FEIS) is to restore, insofar as possible, the injured natural resources and thereby the services they provide that were affected by the Exxon Valdex oilspill (EVOS). The purpose of this document is to analyze the effects of proposed uses of the remaining funds (approximately $620 million as of February 1994, after final reimbursements) in accomplishing the mission of the Trustee Council.

This presentation provides a summary of ecological condition and sediment chemistry data for northern Gulf of Mexico estuaries that were exposed to oil and oil-related contaminants from the BP OilSpill.

The value of rehabilitating oiled wildlife is an on-going global debate. On October 5, 2011, the cargo vessel C/V Rena grounded on Astrolabe Reef, New Zealand (NZ), spilling over 300 tonnes of heavy fuel oil. As part of the Rena oilspill response, 383 little blue penguins (LBP, Eudyptula minor) were captured, cleaned, rehabilitated and released back into a cleaned environment. This research investigates foraging behaviour changes due either to the oilspill or by the rehabilitation process by comparing the diving behaviour of rehabilitated (n=8) and non-rehabilitated (n=6) LBPs and with LBP populations throughout NZ. Stabile isotope analysis of feathers was also used to investigate diet. There were no foraging behaviour differences between rehabilitated and non-rehabilitated LBPs and the overall diving behaviour of these LBPs have similar, if not less energetic, foraging behaviour than other LBPs in NZ. This suggests the rehabilitation process and clean-up undertaken after the Rena appears effective and helps justify the rehabilitation of oiled wildlife across the world. PMID:26424224

In this article we consider what we have learned from the Exxon Valdez oilspill (EVOS) in terms of when bioremediation should be considered and what it can accomplish. We present data on the state of oiling of Prince William Sound shorelines 18 years after the spill, including the concentration and composition of subsurface oil residues (SSOR) sampled by systematic shoreline surveys conducted between 2002 and 2007. Over this period, 346 sediment samples were analysed by GC-MS and extents of hydrocarbon depletion were quantified. In 2007 alone, 744 sediment samples were collected and extracted, and 222 were analysed. Most sediment samples from sites that were heavily oiled by the spill and physically cleaned and bioremediated between 1989 and 1991 show no remaining SSOR. Where SSOR does remain, it is for the most part highly weathered, with 82% of 2007 samples indicating depletion of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (Total PAH) of >70% relative to EVOS oil. This SSOR is sequestered in patchy deposits under boulder/cobble armour, generally in the mid-to-upper intertidal zone. The relatively high nutrient concentrations measured at these sites, the patchy distribution and the weathering state of the SSOR suggest that it is in a form and location where bioremediation likely would be ineffective at increasing the rate of hydrocarbon removal. PMID:21261915

Automatic oilspill detection and tracking from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images is a difficult task, due in large part to the inhomogeneous properties of the sea surface, the high level of speckle inherent in SAR data, the complexity and the highly non-Gaussian nature of amplitude information, and the low temporal sampling that is often achieved with SAR systems. This research presents a promising new oilspill detection and tracking method that is based on time series of SAR images. Through the combination of a number of advanced image processing techniques, the develop approach is able to mitigate some of these previously mentioned limitations of SAR-based oil-spill detection and enables fully automatic spill detection and tracking across a wide range of spatial scales. The method combines an initial automatic texture analysis with a consecutive change detection approach based on multi-scale image decomposition. The first step of the approach, a texture transformation of the original SAR images, is performed in order to normalize the ocean background and enhance the contrast between oil-covered and oil-free ocean surfaces. The Lipschitz regularity (LR), a local texture parameter, is used here due to its proven ability to normalize the reflectivity properties of ocean water and maximize the visibly of oil in water. To calculate LR, the images are decomposed using two-dimensional continuous wavelet transform (2D-CWT), and transformed into Holder space to measure LR. After texture transformation, the now normalized images are inserted into our multi-temporal change detection algorithm. The multi-temporal change detection approach is a two-step procedure including (1) data enhancement and filtering and (2) multi-scale automatic change detection. The performance of the developed approach is demonstrated by an application to oilspill areas in the Gulf of Mexico. In this example, areas affected by oilspills were identified from a series of ALOS PALSAR images

Oilspills can be disastrous to any ecosystem. Bioremediation through bioaugmentation (addition of oil-degrading bacteria) and biostimulation (addition of nutrients N&P) options can be a promising strategy for combating oilspills following first response actions. However, bioaugmentation is one of the most controversial issues of bioremediation since nutrient addition alone has a greater effect on oil biodegradation than the addition of microbial products that are highly dependent on environmental conditions. There is increasing evidence that the best way to overcome the above barriers is to use microorganisms from the polluted area, an approach proposed as autochthonous bioaugmentation (ABA) and defined as the bioaugmentation technology that uses exclusively microorganisms indigenous to the sites (soil, sand, and water) to be decontaminated. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of an ABA strategy for the successful remediation of polluted marine environments. A consortium was enriched from seawater samples taken from Elefsina Gulf near the Hellenic Petroleum Refinery, a site exposed to chronic crude oil pollution. Pre-adapted consortium was tested alone or in combination with inorganic nutrients in the presence (or not) of biosurfactants (rhamnolipids) in 30-day experiments. Treatment with fertilizers in the presence of biosurfactants exhibited the highest alkane and PAH degradation and showed highest growth over a period of almost 15 days. Considering the above, the use of biostimulation additives in combination with naturally pre-adapted hydrocarbon degrading consortia has proved to be a very effective treatment and it is a promising strategy in the future especially when combined with lipophilic fertilizers instead of inorganic nutrients. Such an approach becomes more pertinent when the oilspill approaches near the shoreline and immediate hydrocarbon degradation is needed. PMID:23835403

In an attempt to analyze the chemical characterization of oil residues and examine the suitability of chemical fingerprinting methods in oilspill investigations, multiple parameters sensitive to both sources and degree of weathering were used to characterize oil residues from "7-16" Dalian oilspill, China. Oil residues collected 90 days to 120 days after the spill showed a weathering pattern where significant amounts of light to middle molecular weight normal alkanes were depleted with pristane and phytane as dominant peaks. Diagnostic ratios developed from n-alkane and selected isoprenoids (e.g. Pr/Ph, n-C17/Pr, n-C18/Ph, carbon preference index, LMW/HMW-alkanes ratio), all display obvious changes over weathering time, indicating that these ratios are not valid for oil source identification. Furthermore, the biomarker ratios of hopanes and steranes with relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 0.88-4.08% were useful for source identification even for severely weathered oil residues. In addition, RSD of δ(13)C values of individual n-alkanes in oil residue varied from 0.07% to 0.20%, which suggest that stable carbon isotope profile of n-alkanes can also be a useful tool for tracing the source of an oilspill. PMID:23623662

Marine intertidal organisms in Prince William Sound were exposed to crude oil following the TN Exxon Valdez oilspill in 1989. The intertidal communities were also subjected to mechanical disturbance during invasive oilspill remediation and cleanup efforts. Using monitoring data collected from 1989 to 1997, impacts and eventual recovery were assessed at oiled but uncleaned sites and oiled and cleaned study areas. A statistical model where recovery was defined as parallelism between the time profiles at control and oiled sites was evaluated. Statistical analysis and graphical presentations of the data suggest intertidal epibiota communities recovered from the oilspill by 1992 at the oiled sites and by 1994 at the oiled and remediated sites. Empirical data from the intertidal monitoring program supports the use of tests of parallelism in evaluating recovery and the need to avoid simply the comparison of sample means from control and oiled sites. PMID:11437004

The goal of the project was to restore the confidence of subsistence users in their abilities to determine the safety of their resources. Methods included community meetings, collection and testing of subsistence resource samples, accompanying community representatives on test laboratory tours and information newsletters to communities. The project was partly successful in disseminating the subsistence food safety advice of the OilSpill Health Task Force and in improving the level of trust in the results of hydrocarbon tests on the resources.

An oilspill fishery impact assessment system composed of fishery, hydrodynamic, ichthyoplankton transport and fates submodels has been applied to assess the probable impact of oilspills on several key fisheries in the Georges Bank - Gulf of Maine region. The model system addresses direct impacts of oil on the commercial fishery through hydrocarbon induced egg and larval mortality.

The United States is currently experiencing its worst man-made environmental disaster, the BP Deepwater Horizon oil leak. The Gulf of Mexico oilspill is severe in its impact, but it is only one of several global oilspill disasters in history. Students can utilize the technology of Google Earth to explore the spatial and temporal distribution of…

This study gives a global overview of accidental oilspills from all sources (> or =700t) for the period 1970-2004, followed by a detailed examination of trends in accidental tanker spills. The present analysis of the number and volume of tanker spills includes temporal and spatial spill trends, aspects of spill size distribution as well as trends of key factors (i.e., flag state, hull type, tanker age, accident cause and sensitivity of location). Results show that the total number and volume of tanker spills have significantly decreased since the 1970s, which is in contrast to increases in maritime transport of oil and to popular perceptions following recent catastrophic events. However, many spills still occur in ecologically sensitive locations because the major maritime transport routes often cross the boundaries of the Large Marine Ecosystems, but the substantially lower total spill volume is an important contribution to potentially reduce overall ecosystem impacts. In summary, the improvements achieved in the past decades have been the result of a set of initiatives and regulations implemented by governments, international organizations and the shipping industry. PMID:16942835

This paper introduces a conceptual framework for understanding and responding to the currently unfolding social and psychological impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oilspill. Drawing from the concept of corrosive communities and its relationship to theories of conservation of resources, cognitive activation, and risk and resilience, the conceptual model identifies three levels or tiers of impacts: biopsychosocial impacts that are direct consequences of the contamination of the physical environment; interpersonal impacts that are direct consequences of the biopsychosocial impacts; and intrapersonal or psychological impacts that are consequences of both the biopsychosocial and the interpersonal impacts. The model is then evaluated in light of research conducted in the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oilspill as well as studies of other manmade disasters, and offers a set of testable hypotheses that predict likely impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oilspill. The conceptual framework may be used to identify strategies to develop community resilience and target specific services to prevent and mitigate these adverse effects. PMID:22913496

When an environmental accident creates a potential conflict between science and environmental advocacy, science may suffer. When the supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, on the morning of 24 March 1989, it aroused widespread concern about possible environmental concern about possible environmental devastation. Within hours, some 41 million liters of crude oil were released into the marine ecosystem, making this spill the largest in US history. Eventually, oil was found more than 900 km from the spill site, and roughly 2100 km of shoreline were contaminated with oil (Neff et al. 1995). 46 refs., 8 figs.

The bibliography contains citations concerning equipment and techniques for the control, dispersal, cleanup, and disposal of oilspills. Topics include chemical dispersants, booms, and mechanical skimmers. The citations emphasize spill removal for harbors, estuaries, and shorelines, and examine spill impact on water birds and marine life. (Contains a minimum of 195 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

The bibliography contains citations concerning equipment and techniques for the control, dispersal, cleanup, and disposal of oilspills. Topics include chemical dispersants, booms, and mechanical skimmers. The citations emphasize spill removal for harbors, estuaries, and shorelines, and examine spill impact on water birds and marine life. (Contains a minimum of 180 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

The bibliography contains citations concerning equipment and techniques for the control, dispersal, cleanup, and disposal of oilspills. Topics include chemical dispersants, booms, and mechanical skimmers. The citations emphasize spill removal for harbors, estuaries, and shorelines, and examine spill impact on water birds and marine life. (Contains a minimum of 195 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

To the potential oil-spill risk caused by offshore pipeline more attention has been paid after the Dalian oilspill incident from oil-pipeline explosion. Since then an issue about how to prevent and control the sudden oil-spill from the offshore pipeline has been raised. In this paper, we proposed an optimized model to analyze the main causes (probability) of spill and the consequence with the fuzzy comprehensive assessment model. Considering the complicated assessment process for oil-spill, the assessment factor system involving the spill probability and consequence was established based on the operative manual and statistic leakage/damage data of offshore pipeline in order to estimate the integrated spill risk score automatically. The evaluated factors of spill probability could be grouped into five aspects: corrosion, fatigue, national damage, third party, and operational fault; the consequence evaluated factors of spill included hazard of oil and impact-controlling capability. With some modifications based on experts' opinions, each of the evaluated factors in our work was developed with a relative weight and evaluation criterion. A test example for an offshore pipeline in the Bohai waters was described to show how the model can be used for an actual case in more detail. By using the oil-spill risk assessment model, it is easy to determine the risk level associated with the ongoing activity and management level and hence to take the risk mitigation action immediately.

This book builds upon previous work in the field of oilspill impact assessment and habitat restoration to assess the technical feasibility and practicability of proactive restoration following oilspills and presents an approach for evaluating tradeoffs between natural recovery and active restoration. The scenarios developed to represent a broad spectrum of possible oilspills were based on selected case studies. The report concludes that in general, available restoration techniques are not very effective for enhancing natural recovery and may in certain cases cause more severe impacts than the oilspill alone.

From mid June 2010 to early August 2010, the white sandy beaches along Alabama's Gulf coast were inundated with crude oil discharged from the Deepwater Horizon well. The long-term consequences of this environmental catastrophe are still unfolding. Although BP has attempted to clean up some of these beaches, there still exist many unanswered questions regarding the physical, chemical, and ecological state of the oil contaminated beach system. In this paper, we present our understanding of what is known and known to be unknown with regard to the current state of Alabama's beaches in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Motivated by our observations of the evolving distribution of oil in Alabama's beaches and BP's clean-up activities, we offer our thoughts on the lessons learned from this oilspill disaster.

From mid June 2010 to early August 2010, the white sandy beaches along Alabama's Gulf coast were inundated with crude oil discharged from the Deepwater Horizon well. The long-term consequences of this environmental catastrophe are still unfolding. Although BP has attempted to clean up some of these beaches, there still exist many unanswered questions regarding the physical, chemical, and ecological state of the oil contaminated beach system. In this paper, we present our understanding of what is known and known to be unknown with regard to the current state of Alabama's beaches in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Motivated by our observations of the evolving distribution of oil in Alabama's beaches and BP's clean-up activities, we offer our thoughts on the lessons learned from this oilspill disaster.

The report examines the Nation's oilspill preparedness and response system in the wake of the Exxon Valdez disaster. It describes the nationwide oilspill response system, including the Federal Government's National Response System; the status of Federal, state, local and industry contingency planning; the adequacy of exercises testing oilspill plans; the effectiveness of oilspill contingency plans; and the development, response, and shortfall assessment of worst-case scenarios. The document also addresses key environmental and health concerns, including the potential for contamination of the food chain, the emotional and social stress that accompany significant spills, and strategies for mitigating these hazards. An extensive set of appendices summarizes regional response team contingency plans. The report emphasizes that prevention activities remain the best protection against oilspills, regardless of the effectiveness of response capabilities.

This video gives: an overview of the SPCC regulations, regulated community, and SPCC plan requirements; an overview of OPA `90 FRP requirements; a general description of where oil is found; an explanation of drilling operations and equipment; a description of well completion process, well fluid flow, and complete well configurations; and inspection and SPCC requirements as drilling and well sites.

In January 1994, a 6.7 magnitude earthquake in southern California ruptured a pipeline releasing approximately 4,200 barrels of blended San Joaquin Valley crude oil. A smaller volume entered the Santa Clara River and flowed 25 km downstream to an emergency containment dam. Ruptured water mains and chlorinated discharges from a damaged sewage treatment plant also affected water quality in the river. Quantitative injury assessment studies were initiated within days of the spill and included water/sediment chemistry, benthic macroinvertebrate community analyses and aquatic toxicity tests. Water quality values for TPH, BTEX, and chlorine ranged from nondetectable to 78 mg/l (TPH), nondetectable to 5.4 {micro}g/l (total BTEX constituents) and nondetectable to 600 {micro}g/l (residual chlorine) within 72 hours of the spill. Ammonia concentrations ranged from nondetectable to 12.1 mg/l within 10 days of the spill. Hydrocarbon concentrations in sediments ranged from nondetectable to 3,900 mg/kg within 8 to 12 weeks post-spill. Both the density and diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates were reduced immediately after the spill but were not significantly different from reference areas four months later. River water collected from numerous locations within 72 hrs of the earthquake was transferred to the laboratory for static renewal acute toxicity tests using rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). TPH concentrations in test containers ranged from nondetectable to 23 mg/l, BTEX constituents were nondetectable, and chlorine, measured at 600 {micro}g/l in one sample, was titrated with sodium thiosulfate prior to testing. No acute toxicity was observed in either species.

Marine mammal damage assessment studies after the Exxon Valdez oilspill concentrated on sea otters, harbor seals, Steller sea lions, killer whales, and humpback whales. Sea otter and harbor seals were the most affected marine mammal; it was estimated that several thousand otters and several hundred harbor seals died within months of the spill. Steller sea lion, harbor seal, and sea otter numbers were monitored using aerial surveys. Studies of humpback whales and killer whales used photoidentification techniques to determine changes in abundance, distribution, mortality, and natality. Tissues from animals found dead in spill and control areas were analyzed for hydrocarbon levels. Sea otters, sea lions and harbor seals had elevated hydrocarbon levels, but only sea otters and harbor seals showed population declines associated with the spill. Humpback whales were not severely affected by the Exxon Valdez oilspill. Killer whale numbers in the resident AB pod declined after the spill. Coincidental evidence supports the oilspill as the causative agent.

In June 2010, the UAVSAR platform was deployed to the Gulf of Mexico in response to the Deepwater Horizon oilspill in order to collect fully-polarimetric L-band radar data over the open water and along Gulf coastlines. The data from the 2-day campaign is now being used to study the extent and impact of the oilspill, both in the open water and within the coastal ecosystems. The UAVSAR campaign was initiated with three primary goals: (1) Develop and validate algorithms for improved discrimination of oil slicks on water and identification of oil properties from radar backscatter; (2) study the use of radar for determining the extent of oil penetration into sensitive coastal ecological zones, in particular, to map the spread of oil from the coastline into coastal wetlands; and (3) study the use of radar in identifying and monitoring the recovery of vegetation affected by oil. In addition, we intend for the information from this study to inform and enable use of high-resolution radar imagery in future emergency response efforts. A second flight in October 2010 is planned to repeat the collection of marshland and coastal data for the impact and recovery studies. The first deployment occurred while oil was still leaking from the Deepwater Horizon spill site. UAVSAR data was collected over the ocean along 22-km wide swaths covering the rig site and the area around it. Additional data was collected over the gulf extending ocean data extending east from the rig site to an area south of Pensacola, Florida; over the Franklin Eddy in the east-central Gulf of Mexico, and directly east of the Florida Keys. The processed data has a resolution of 7 m x 7 m. We are now using this data to study oil identification and characterization using polarimetric decomposition techniques. The UAVSAR instrument has a noise floor (noise-equivalent σ0) of ~-50 dB, at least 20 dB below that of most radars imaging the oilspill. The radiometric sensitivity of the instrument is allowing us to

On June 4 and 17, 2011, separate oilspill accidents occurred at two oil platforms in the Bohai Sea, China. The oilspills were subsequently observed on different types of satellite images including SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar), Chinese HJ-1-B CCD and NASA MODIS. To illustrate the fate of the oilspills, we performed two numerical simulations to simulate the trajectories of the oilspills with the GNOME (General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment) model. For the first time, we drive the GNOME with currents obtained from an operational ocean model (NCOM, Navy Coastal Ocean Model) and surface winds from operational scatterometer measurements (ASCAT, the Advanced Scatterometer). Both data sets are freely and openly available. The initial oilspill location inputs to the model are based on the detected oilspill locations from the SAR images acquired on June 11 and 14. Three oil slicks are tracked simultaneously and our results show good agreement between model simulations and subsequent satellite observations in the semi-enclosed shallow sea. Moreover, GNOME simulation shows that the number of 'splots', which denotes the extent of spilledoil, is a vital factor for GNOME running stability when the number is less than 500. Therefore, oilspill area information obtained from satellite sensors, especially SAR, is an important factor for setting up the initial model conditions. PMID:23618498

The oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico was documented by shoreline assessment teams as stranding on 1,773 km of shoreline. Beaches comprised 50.8%, marshes 44.9%, and other shoreline types 4.3% of the oiled shoreline. Shoreline cleanup activities were authorized on 660 km, or 73.3% of oiled beaches and up to 71 km, or 8.9% of oiled marshes and associated habitats. One year after the spill began, oil remained on 847 km; two years later, oil remained on 687 km, though at much lesser degrees of oiling. For example, shorelines characterized as heavily oiled went from a maximum of 360 km, to 22.4 km one year later, and to 6.4 km two years later. Shoreline cleanup has been conducted to meet habitat-specific cleanup endpoints and will continue until all oiled shoreline segments meet endpoints. The entire shoreline cleanup program has been managed under the Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) Program, which is a systematic, objective, and inclusive process to collect data on shoreline oiling conditions and support decision making on appropriate cleanup methods and endpoints. It was a particularly valuable and effective process during such a complex spill. PMID:23776444

Viscosity plays an important role in dispersion of spilled surface oil, so does adding chemical dispersants. For seven different oil grades, entrainment rate and initial droplet size distribution were investigated using a plunging jet apparatus with coupled camera equipment and subsequent image analysis. We found that amount of oil entrained is proportional to layer thickness and largely independent of oil properties: A dispersant dose of 1:200 did not result in a significantly different entrainment rate compared to no dispersants. Oil viscosity had a minor to no influence on entrainment rate, until a certain threshold above which entrainment was impeded. The mean droplet size scales with the modified Weber number as described by Johansen. The obtained results can help improve dispersion algorithms in oilspill fate and transport models, to aid making an informed decision about application of dispersants. PMID:27345705

To better understand the distribution of remaining lingering subsurface oil residues from the Exxon Valdez oilspill (EVOS) along the shorelines of Prince William Sound (PWS), AK, we revised previous modeling efforts to allow spatially explicit predictions of the distribution of subsurface oil. We used a set of pooled field data and predictor variables stored as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data to generate calibrated boosted tree models predicting the encounter probability of different categories of subsurface oil. The models demonstrated excellent predictive performance as evaluated by cross-validated performance statistics. While the average encounter probabilities at most shoreline locations are low across western PWS, clusters of shoreline locations with elevated encounter probabilities remain in the northern parts of the PWS, as well as more isolated locations. These results can be applied to estimate the location and amount of remaining oil, evaluate potential ongoing impacts, and guide remediation. This is the first application of quantitative machine-learning based modeling techniques in estimating the likelihood of ongoing, long-term shoreline oil persistence after a major oilspill. PMID:25719970

Stranded oil covering soil and plant stems in fragile Louisiana marshes was one of the most visible impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oilspill. As part of the assessment of marsh injury after the DWH spill, plant stem oiling was broken into five categories (0%, 0-10%, 10-50%, 50-90%, 90-100%) and used as the independent variable for estimating death of vegetation, accelerated erosion, and other metrics of injury. The length of shoreline falling into each of these stem oiling categories was therefore a key measure of the total extent of marsh injury, and its accurate estimation is the focus of this paper. First, we used geographically-weighted logistic regression (GWR) to explore and model spatially varying relationships between stem oiling field data and secondary information (oiling exposure category) collected during shoreline surveys. We then combined GWR probability estimates with field data using indicator cokriging to predict the probability of exceeding four stem oiling thresholds (0, 10, 50, and 90%) at 50 m intervals along the Louisiana shoreline. Cross-validation using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) Curves demonstrate the greater prediction accuracy of the multivariate geostatistical approach relative to either aspatial regression or indicator kriging that ignores secondary information. PMID:27240202

To meet the growing energy demand worldwide, oil and gas exploration and production activities have increased rapidly both in onshore and offshore areas. The produced oil from the ocean bed is transported onshore either by ship or pipeline. This has increased the risk of oilspill in the coastal area. In order to prepare an emergency preparedness plan and to assess the magnitude of risk involved in transporting and offloading oil, oilspill simulation studies play an important role. This paper describes a simulation of oilspill in coastal bay of Arabian Gulf where new developments are taking place using MIKE 21 model. The developments include a diesel based thermal power plant near Sir Baniyas Island, which is an ecological fragile area. Based on the project activity, two probable scenarios, one for diesel leak (250 m3/h) for 1 h and the other for instantaneous spill (500 m3) are considered. The MIKE 21 model was calibrated for hydrodynamics using measured field data followed by diesel-spill simulation to track its movement in the Arabian Gulf. The results for both leak and instantaneous spill indicate that spilled diesel will not move towards the Sir Banyas Island and more than 45% of the diesel will be evaporated within 48 h of oilspill. Based on the results, a clean up and contingency plan is proposed to mitigate the adverse impacts arising due to diesel spill in the study area. PMID:18095178

Three airborne television systems are being developed to evaluate techniques for oil-spill surveillance. These include a conventional TV camera, two cameras operating in a subtractive mode, and a field-sequential camera. False-color enhancement and wavelength and polarization filtering are also employed. The first of a series of flight tests indicates that an appropriately filtered conventional TV camera is a relatively inexpensive method of improving contrast between oil and water. False-color enhancement improves the contrast, but the problem caused by sun glint now limits the application to overcast days. Future effort will be aimed toward a one-camera system. Solving the sun-glint problem and developing the field-sequential camera into an operable system offers potential for color 'flagging' oil on water.

On April 28, 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT) aircraft was deployed to Gulfport, Mississippi to provide airborne remotely sensed air monitoring and situational awareness data and products in response to the Deepwater Horizon oilspill disaster. The ASPECT aircraft was released from service on August 9, 2010 after having flown over 85 missions that included over 325 hours of flight operation. This paper describes several advanced analysis capabilities specifically developed for the Deepwater Horizon mission to correctly locate, identify, characterize, and quantify surface oil using ASPECT's multispectral infrared data. The data products produced using these advanced analysis capabilities provided the Deepwater Horizon Incident Command with a capability that significantly increased the effectiveness of skimmer vessel oil recovery efforts directed by the U.S. Coast Guard, and were considered by the Incident Command as key situational awareness information.

This paper describes the results of an analysis of 13.3-GHz single-polarized scatterometer data collected during NASA/MSC mission 135, flown on March 16, 1970. Data were gathered over a crude oilspill on the Gulf of Mexico (test site 128) off the Mississippi delta. With the aid of RC-8 camera photographs the scattering cross section was correlated with the extent of the oilspill. The scattering cross section at higher incidence angles (25 to 50 deg) decreased by 5-10 db in the presence of the oilspill. This was attributed to the damping by oil of small gravity and capillary waves. The composite scattering theory and the scatterometer-acquired data were used to obtain an expression of radar scattering over ocean surfaces with oilspills. The study demonstrates that the presence and extent of oilspills can be detected with high-frequency radar systems.

The results of an analysis of 13.3-GHz single polarized scatterometer data collected during NASA/MSC Mission 135, flown on March 16, 1970 are reported. Data were gathered over a crude oilspill on the Gulf of Mexico off the Mississippi Delta. With the aid of RC-8 camera photographs, the scattering cross section was correlated with the extent of the oilspill. The scattering cross section at higher incidence angles decreased by 5 db to 10 db in the presence of the oilspill. This was attributed to oil's damping of small gravity and capillary waves. The composite scattering theory and the scatterometer acquired data were used to obtain an expression of radar scattering over ocean surfaces with oilspills. The study demonstrates that the presence and extent of oilspills can be detected using high frequency radar systems.

Oil fingerprints have been a powerful tool widely used for determining the source of spilledoil. In most cases, this tool works well. However, it is usually difficult to identify the source if the oilspill accident occurs during offshore petroleum exploration due to the highly similar physiochemical characteristics of suspected oils from the same drilling platform. In this report, a case study from the waters of the South China Sea is presented, and multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS) is introduced to demonstrate how oil fingerprints can be combined with mathematical methods to identify the source of spilledoil from highly similar suspected sources. The results suggest that the MDS calculation based on oil fingerprints and subsequently integrated with specific biomarkers in spilledoils is the most effective method with a great potential for determining the source in terms of highly similar suspected oils. PMID:25765488

The Deepwater Horizon oilspill constituted an ecosystem-level injury in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Much oil spread at 1100-1300m depth, contaminating and affecting deepwater habitats. Factors such as oil-biodegradation, ocean currents and response measures (dispersants, burning) reduced coastal oiling. Still, >2100km of shoreline and many coastal habitats were affected. Research demonstrates that oiling caused a wide range of biological effects, although worst-case impact scenarios did not materialize. Biomarkers in individual organisms were more informative about oiling stress than population and community indices. Salt marshes and seabird populations were hard hit, but were also quite resilient to oiling effects. Monitoring demonstrated little contamination of seafood. Certain impacts are still understudied, such as effects on seagrass communities. Concerns of long-term impacts remain for large fish species, deep-sea corals, sea turtles and cetaceans. These species and their habitats should continue to receive attention (monitoring and research) for years to come. PMID:27301686

Oilspill detection and monitoring deserve huge attention in environmental protection as well as for timely planning maintenance actions, with the final aim to mitigate soil pollution. In this frame, the requirement for detailed subsurface diagnostics, while performing non-invasive surveys, motivates the use of ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems and their continuous development in order to improve the achievable performance. Moving in this direction, this paper aims at investigating the reconstruction capabilities of a full 3D microwave tomography approach as a tool for pollution characterization and imaging. The microwave tomography approach exploits a Born Approximation based model of the electromagnetic scattering phenomenon and is capable of accounting for the vectorial nature of the wave-material interaction. The reconstruction capabilities are assessed against experimental data referred to oilspill in dry and water saturated sand soils, gathered in laboratory controlled conditions at the Department of Geophysics of the University of São Paulo, Brazil. The provided results state that the full 3D microwave tomography approach is able to gain accurate images of the surveyed scenarios allowing to acquire information on the oil diffusion process in both the considered soils.

We estimated that about 8000 bald eagles (Halieetus leucocephalus) inhabited the area affected by the spill at the time of the Exxon Valdez oilspill. We conducted a 3-year study to determine effects of the spill on the bald eagle population and reproduction and survival of adults and fledglings. The greatest injuries to bald eagles occurred in 1989 and were manifested by direct mortality of bald eagles throughout the spill area and significantly reduced reproduction in PWS. We could not discern negative effects on the population or reproduction of eagles after 1989.

The bibliography contains citations concerning the biodegradation, bioremediation, and bioreclamation of oilspills. Effectiveness and regulatory issues in oilspill control on lands, on water surface, and underwater are discussed. Topics include in-situ bioremediation, dispersants, gasoline spills from underground storage tanks, beach and harbor clean-up, groundwater pollution, and soil pollution. (Contains a minimum of 79 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

The bibliography contains citations concerning the biodegradation, bioremediation, and bioreclamation of oilspills. Effectiveness and regulatory issues in oilspill control on lands, on water surface, and underwater are discussed. Topics include in-situ bioremediation, dispersants, gasoline spills from underground storage tanks, beach and harbor clean-up, groundwater pollution, and soil pollution. (Contains 50-250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.) (Copyright NERAC, Inc. 1995)

The bibliography contains citations concerning the biodegradation, bioremediation, and bioreclamation of oilspills. Effectiveness and regulatory issues in oilspill control on lands, on water surface, and underwater are discussed. Topics include in-situ bioremediation, dispersants, gasoline spills from underground storage tanks, beach and harbor clean-up, groundwater pollution, and soil pollution. (Contains 50-250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.) (Copyright NERAC, Inc. 1995)

Despite remarkable strides in science and technology, the strategy for spilledoil collection has remained almost the same since the 1969 Santa Barbara oilspill. The graphene vessel devised here can bring about an important yet basic change in the strategy for spilledoil collection. When it is placed on the oil-covered seawater, the graphene vessel selectively separates the oil, then collects and stores the collected oil in the vessel all by itself without any external power inputs. Capillarity and gravity work together to fill this proto-type graphene vessel with the spilledoil at a rate that is higher than 20,000 liters per square meter per hour (LMH) with oil purity better than 99.9%, and allow the vessel to withstand a water head of 0.5 m. The vessel also has a superb chemical stability and recyclability. An expanded oil contact area, considerably greater than the thickness of the oil layer, forms at the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) foam interface upon contact with the spilledoil. This expanded contact area does not change much even when the oil layer thins out. As a result, the high oil collection rate is maintained throughout the recovery of spilledoil. PMID:26923622

Despite remarkable strides in science and technology, the strategy for spilledoil collection has remained almost the same since the 1969 Santa Barbara oilspill. The graphene vessel devised here can bring about an important yet basic change in the strategy for spilledoil collection. When it is placed on the oil-covered seawater, the graphene vessel selectively separates the oil, then collects and stores the collected oil in the vessel all by itself without any external power inputs. Capillarity and gravity work together to fill this proto-type graphene vessel with the spilledoil at a rate that is higher than 20,000 liters per square meter per hour (LMH) with oil purity better than 99.9%, and allow the vessel to withstand a water head of 0.5 m. The vessel also has a superb chemical stability and recyclability. An expanded oil contact area, considerably greater than the thickness of the oil layer, forms at the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) foam interface upon contact with the spilledoil. This expanded contact area does not change much even when the oil layer thins out. As a result, the high oil collection rate is maintained throughout the recovery of spilledoil.

Despite remarkable strides in science and technology, the strategy for spilledoil collection has remained almost the same since the 1969 Santa Barbara oilspill. The graphene vessel devised here can bring about an important yet basic change in the strategy for spilledoil collection. When it is placed on the oil-covered seawater, the graphene vessel selectively separates the oil, then collects and stores the collected oil in the vessel all by itself without any external power inputs. Capillarity and gravity work together to fill this proto-type graphene vessel with the spilledoil at a rate that is higher than 20,000 liters per square meter per hour (LMH) with oil purity better than 99.9%, and allow the vessel to withstand a water head of 0.5 m. The vessel also has a superb chemical stability and recyclability. An expanded oil contact area, considerably greater than the thickness of the oil layer, forms at the reduced graphene oxide (rGO) foam interface upon contact with the spilledoil. This expanded contact area does not change much even when the oil layer thins out. As a result, the high oil collection rate is maintained throughout the recovery of spilledoil. PMID:26923622

Extensive experiments with in situ incineration were performed on a desert site at the University of Arizona with very striking results. The largest incinerator, 6 feet in diameter with a 30 foot chimney, developed combustion temperatures of 3000, F, and attendant soot production approximately 1000 times less than that produced by conventional in situ burning. This soot production, in fact, is approximately 30 times less than current allowable EPA standards for incinerators and internal combustion engines. Furthermore, as a consequence of the high temperature combustion, the bum rate was established at a very high 3400 gallons per hour for this particular 6 foot diameter structure. The rudimentary design studies we have carried out relative to a seagoing 8 foot diameter incinerator have predicted that a continuous burn rate of 7000 gallons per hour is realistic. This structure was taken as a basis for operational design because it is compatible with C130 flyability, and will be inexpensive enough ($120,000 per copy) to be stored at those seaside depots throughout the US coast line in which the requisite ancillary equipments (booms, service tugs, etc.) are already deployed. The LOX experiments verified our expectations with respect to combustion of debris and various highly weathered or emulsified oils. We have concluded, however, that the use of liquid oxygen in actual beach clean up is not promising because the very high temperatures associated with this combustion are almost certain to produce environmentally deleterious effects on the beach surface and its immediately sublying structures. However, the use of liquid oxygen augmentation for shore based and flyable incinerators may still play an important role in handing the problem of accumulated debris.

This study was conducted to determine both the short- and long-term effects of spills of hot Prudhoe Bay crude oil on permafrost terrain in subarctic interior Alaska. Two experimental oilspills of 7570 liters (2000 gallons) each on 500sqm test plots were made at a forest site un...

... From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Office of the Secretary Exxon Valdez OilSpill Trustee Council; Notice of Meeting AGENCY: Office of the..., Office of the Secretary is announcing a public meeting of the Exxon Valdez OilSpill Public...

This study investigated children's moral and ecological conceptions and values about an actual, environmentally destructive accident, the large oilspill that occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska in 1989. Sixty children from second, fifth, and eighth grades were interviewed on children's reasoning and understandings about the oilspill which…

Due to tremendous resource wastes and great harm to ecological environment caused by the accidental oilspills, an alkyl bicarbamate supramolecular oil gelator was synthesized and applied to selectively gelate oils from oil/water mixtures. Interestingly, the oil gelator could be self-assembled in a series of organic solvents, i.e., edible oils and fuel oils to form 3D networks and then turned into thermally reversible organogels, allowing easy separation and removal of oilspills from oil/water mixtures. The possible self-assembly mode for the formation of organogels was proposed. What's more, the optimal conditions for using the oil gelator to recover oils were experimentally determined. Inspiringly, taking gasoline as the co-congealed solvent, a complete gelation of oil phase was achieved within 15 min with high oil removal rate and oil retention rate after convenient salvage and cleanup of oil gels from oil/water mixtures. The oil gelator had some advantages in solidifying oilspills on water surface, exhibiting fast oil gelation, convenient and thorough oil removal and easy recovery. This work illustrates the significant role of oil gelators in the potential cleanup of spilledoils for water purification. PMID:27035386

Since the discovery of major reserves in the Israeli exclusive economic zone (EEZ) 6 years ago, exploration and drilling for natural gas and oil have proceeded at an accelerated pace. As part of the licensing procedure for drilling, an environmental impact assessment and an emergency response plan must be presented to the authorities, which include several prespecified oilspill simulations. In this study, the MEDSLIK oilspill model has been applied for this purpose. The model accounts for time-dependent advection, dispersion, and physiochemical weathering of the surface slick. It is driven by currents produced by high-resolution dynamic downscaling of ocean reanalysis data and winds extracted from global atmospheric analyses. Worst case scenarios based on 30-day well blowouts under four sets of environmental conditions were simulated for wells located at 140, 70, and 20 km off the coast of central Israel. For the well furthest from the coast, the amount of oil remaining in the surface slick always exceeds the amount deposited on the coast. For the mid-distance well, the cases were evenly split. For the well closest to the coast, coastal deposition always exceeds the oil remaining in the slick. Additional simulations with the wind switched off helped highlight the importance of the wind in evaporation of the oil and in transporting the slick toward the southeastern coast.

Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from sequestered MV Selendang Ayu oil were biologically available in 2008, 3.6 y after it was spilled along Unalaska Island, Alaska. Thermodynamically driven weathering was the most probable mechanism of organism exposure to PAHs. Alkane and PAH composition in oil changed over time as smaller constituents were preferentially lost, indicative of weathering. In contrast, composition of the largest compounds (biomarkers) including triterpanes, hopanes, and steranes remained unchanged. Smaller molecules (the PAHs) lost from stranded oil were observed in indigenous mussels and passive samplers deployed in July 2008. Concentration and composition of PAHs were significantly different than in a non-oiled reference area and patterns observed in mussels were repeated in passive samplers deployed in three zones (intertidal, subtidal, and water). Thus, hydrocarbons lost from one compartment (sequestered whole oil) were detectable in another (mussels and passive samplers) implying aqueous transfer. Quantities of mobile oil constituents were small, yielding uptake concentrations that are likely inconsequential for mussels, but the sensitivity provided by bioaccumulation and passive sampler uptake ensured that dissolved hydrocarbons were detectable. PMID:26332909

The basic technology behind PRP is thousands of microcapsules, tiny balls of beeswax with hollow centers. Water cannot penetrate the microcapsule s cell, but oil is absorbed right into the beeswax spheres as they float on the water s surface. This way, the contaminants, chemical compounds that originally come from crude oil such as fuels, motor oils, or petroleum hydrocarbons, are caught before they settle. PRP works well as a loose powder for cleaning up contaminants in lakes and other ecologically fragile areas. The powder can be spread over a contaminated body of water or soil, and it will absorb contaminants, contain them in isolation, and dispose of them safely. In water, it is important that PRP floats and keeps the oil on the surface, because, even if oil exposure is not immediately lethal, it can cause long-term harm if allowed to settle. Bottom-dwelling fish exposed to compounds released after oilspills may develop liver disease, in addition to reproductive and growth problems. This use of PRP is especially effective for environmental cleanup in sensitive areas like coral reefs and mangroves.

Oilspills in marine environments may cause significant damage to marine and coastal ecosystems if not recovered quickly and efficiently. Although mechanical recovery is the most commonly used oilspill response technique, it can be very time consuming and expensive when employed at a large scale due, to its low recovery rates. The goal of this work was to optimize mechanical oilspill recovery for various environmental conditions by analyzing the recovery process and identifying parameters with the most significant impact on the recovery efficiency. As a result of this work, laboratory equipment and procedures tailored to the study of oilspill recovery at small scale were developed. A number of materials and surface patterns that can increase the adhesion skimmer recovery efficiency up to three times were identified and tested in a full scale oilspill recovery study.

Predicted decreases in sea-ice extent and shift from multi- year ice to seasonal ice open up for commercial shipping routes within the Arctic. With expected further growth of maritime activities the potential threat of accidents is increasing. Moreover, there is a lack of information on how an oilspill would affect the Arctic Ocean environment. A robust tool following international risk assessment standards is therefore vital to 1) try to prevent oilspills through use of scenario runs and 2) increase the possibilities to delimit the damage should a spill occur. We use remote sensing images to extract information about oilspill redistribution mechanisms. This combined with information about estimated volume, type of oil and ecotoxicological data enables identification of areas in the Arctic Ocean especially vulnerable to maritime activities. We also include estimates on the probability of an oilspill occurrence.

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What is the authority for collecting OilSpill... MANAGEMENT, REGULATION, AND ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OILSPILL FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR OFFSHORE FACILITIES General § 253.5 What is the authority for collecting OilSpill...

... Fish and Wildlife Service Correction Notice for Deepwater Horizon OilSpill; Draft Phase I Early... Addressing Injuries Resulting from the Deepwater Horizon OilSpill, the Federal and State natural resource... natural resources and services injured or lost as a result ] of the Deepwater Horizon oilspill,...

The bibliography contains citations concerning the techniques available for the removal of oil following major spills. Chemical dispersants, gelling agents, foam plastics, booms, skimmers, and burning are discussed. Specific oilspills are considered and the environmental impacts of oilspills are noted. (Contains a minimum of 207 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

The bibliography contains citations concerning the techniques available for the removal of oil following major spills. Chemical dispersants, gelling agents, foam plastics, booms, skimmers, and burning are discussed. Specific oilspills are considered, and the environmental impacts of oilspills are noted.(Contains 50-250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.) (Copyright NERAC, Inc. 1995)

The bibliography contains citations concerning the techniques available for the removal of oil following major spills. Chemical dispersants, gelling agents, foam plastics, booms, skimmers, and burning are discussed. Specific oilspills are considered, and the environmental impacts of oilspills are noted. (Contains a minimum of 80 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

The bibliography contains citations concerning the techniques available for the removal of oil following major spills. Chemical dispersants, gelling agents, foam plastics, booms, skimmers, and burning are discussed. Specific oilspills are considered, and the environmental impacts of oilspills are noted. (Contains a minimum of 77 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

The bibliography contains citations concerning the techniques available for the removal of oil following major spills. Chemical dispersants, gelling agents, foam plastics, booms, skimmers, and burning are discussed. Specific oilspills are considered, and the environmental impacts of oilspills are noted. (Contains a minimum of 86 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

Marine pollution has been highlighted thanks to the advances in detection techniques as well as increasing coverage of catastrophes (e.g. the oil tankers Amoco Cadiz, Exxon Valdez, Erika, and Prestige) and of smaller oilspills from ships. The new satellite based sensors SAR and ASAR and new methods of oilspill detection and analysis coupled with self-similar statistical techniques allow surveys of environmental pollution monitoring large areas of the ocean. We present a statistical analysis of more than 700 SAR images obtained during 1996-2000, also comparing the detected small pollution events with the historical databases of great marine accidents during 1966-2004 in European coastal waters. We show that the statistical distribution of the number of oilspills as a function of their size corresponds to Zipf's law, and that the common small spills are comparable to the large accidents due to the high frequency of the smaller pollution events. Marine pollution from tankers and ships, which has been detected as oilspills between 0.01 and 100 km2, follows the marine transit routes. Multi-fractal methods are used to distinguish between natural slicks and spills, in order to estimate the oilspill index in European coastal waters, and in particular, the north-western Mediterranean Sea, which, due to the influence of local winds, shows optimal conditions for oilspill detection.

On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon/Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef located off the coast of Alaska, and 11 million gallons of Northslope Alaska crude oil were spilled into Prince William Sound. More than 11,000 workers and uncounted volunteers participated in the clean up operation. The exposure of cleanup workers to spilledoil over several months of cleanup operations suggests the need for an assessment of any unusual occupational health hazards. To address this issue, weathered spilledoil and hold oil were subjected to biodirected chemical fractionation and target chemical analyses. Potential inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact hazards were investigated. The characterization methods of the DOE/Office of Health and Environmental Research Synthetic Fuels Program were applied to samples related to the spill to permit inter-comparability with that data base. Two oilspills were obtained for characterization. Exxon/Valdez hold oil collected directly from the hold of the tanker was provided by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Also provided was a 75-days old weathered spilledoil sampled on June 6, 1989, from a skimmer collecting oil washed off of Knight Island. Because 40 wt % of the weathered oil consisted of non-oil materials such as sand, entrapped water, and leaves, an oil fraction was prepared by suspending the oil benzene/chloroform drying with anhydrous magnesium sulfate, filtering, and removing the solvent by rotary evaporation. The tests conducted here suggest that there is no unusual human health hazard associated with the weathered Exxon/Valdez spilledoil in the context of other petroleum crude oils. Clearly, the volatile organics in the freshly spilledoil present a potential inhalation hazard, but such a threat is considerably mitigated by weathering. The polar neutral chemical class fraction increases notably during weathering, but does not appear to represent an increased genotoxic hazard. 20 refs., 1 fig., 4 tabs.

Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oilspill, petroleum-related compounds and chemical dispersants were detected in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. As a result, there was concern about the risk to human health through consumption of contaminated seafood in the region. Federal and Gulf Coast State agencies worked together on a sampling plan and analytical protocols to determine whether seafood was safe to eat and acceptable for sale in the marketplace. Sensory and chemical methods were used to measure polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dispersant in >8,000 seafood specimens collected in federal waters of the Gulf. Overall, individual PAHs and the dispersant component dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate were found in low concentrations or below the limits of quantitation. When detected, the concentrations were at least two orders of magnitude lower than the level of concern for human health risk. Once an area closed to fishing was free of visibly floating oil and all sensory and chemical results for the seafood species within an area met the criteria for reopening, that area was eligible to be reopened. On April 19, 2011 the area around the wellhead was the last area in federal waters to be reopened nearly 1 y after the spill began. However, as of November 9, 2011, some state waters off the Louisiana coast (Barataria Bay and the Delta region) remain closed to fishing. PMID:22315401

Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oilspill, petroleum-related compounds and chemical dispersants were detected in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. As a result, there was concern about the risk to human health through consumption of contaminated seafood in the region. Federal and Gulf Coast State agencies worked together on a sampling plan and analytical protocols to determine whether seafood was safe to eat and acceptable for sale in the marketplace. Sensory and chemical methods were used to measure polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and dispersant in >8,000 seafood specimens collected in federal waters of the Gulf. Overall, individual PAHs and the dispersant component dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate were found in low concentrations or below the limits of quantitation. When detected, the concentrations were at least two orders of magnitude lower than the level of concern for human health risk. Once an area closed to fishing was free of visibly floating oil and all sensory and chemical results for the seafood species within an area met the criteria for reopening, that area was eligible to be reopened. On April 19, 2011 the area around the wellhead was the last area in federal waters to be reopened nearly 1 y after the spill began. However, as of November 9, 2011, some state waters off the Louisiana coast (Barataria Bay and the Delta region) remain closed to fishing. PMID:22315401

This paper presents a simulated marine oilspill bioremediation experiment using a bacterial consortium amended with rhamnolipids. The role of rhamnolipids in enhancing hydrocarbon biodegradation was evaluated via GC-FID and GC-MS analysis. Rhamnolipids enhanced total oil biodegradation efficiency by 5.63%, with variation in normal alkanes, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and biomakers biodegradation. The hydrocarbons biodegradation by bacteria consortium overall follows a decreasing order of PAHs>n-alkanes>biomarkers, while in different order of PAHs>biomarkers>n-alkanes when rhamnolipids was used, and the improvement in the removal efficiency by rhamnolipids follows another order of biomarkers>n-alkanes>PAHs. Rhamnolipids played a negative role in degradation of those hydrocarbons with relatively volatile property, such as n-alkanes with short chains, PAHs and sesquiterpenes with simple structure. As to the long chain normal alkanes and PAHs and biomakers with complex structure, the biosurfactant played a positive role in these hydrocarbons biodegradation. PMID:23566561

Hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria are ubiquitous in the sea, including hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria that utilize hydrocarbons almost exclusively as carbon and energy sources. However, the rates at which they naturally degrade petroleum following an oilspill appear to be too slow to prevent oil from reaching the shore and causing environmental damage, as has been documented in the Exxon Valdez and Gulf of Mexico disasters. Unfortunately, there is, at present, no experimentally demonstrated methodology for accelerating the degradation of hydrocarbons in the sea. The rate-limiting factor for petroleum degradation in the sea is availability of nitrogen and phosphorus. Oleophilic fertilizers, such as Inipol EAP 22 and urea-formaldehyde polymers, have stimulated hydrocarbon degradation on shorelines but are less effective in open systems. We suggest uric acid as a potentially useful fertilizer enhancing bioremediation at sea. PMID:24657912

The physical characteristics and chemical composition of oilspill solidifiers were studied, and correlation of these properties with product effectiveness enabled determination of characteristics that are desirable in a good solidifier. The analyses revealed that the commercial products were primarily comprised of organic polymers and a few trace elements. A natural sorbent, which was composed entirely of plant based matter, was also evaluated, and it had the highest oil removal capacity, but it did not produce a solid mat-like final product. Generally, solidifiers with a carbonate group, pore size greater than 5 μm, and bulk densities lower than 0.3 g cm(-3) were found to have better efficiency and produced a cohesive rubbery final product that facilitated removal compared to sorbents. The importance of bulk density and pore size in the performance of the solidifier suggest that the primary mechanism of action was likely physical sorption. PMID:26498096

According to current technology, effective clean up of oilspills from the surface of ocean water is performed by an oil sweeper vessel within which oil contaminated water is collected for transport to remotely located on-shore equipment within which oil separation and disposal is performed. The processing of large quantities of oil polluted ocean water is accordingly time consuming as well as costly. It is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a less costly oilspill clean up system involving more rapid processing of large quantities of oil polluted ocean water. In accordance with the present invention, oil polluted ocean water is processed at an oilspill location by continuous separation during pressurized flow of the water through at least two separator devices within which successive reduction in oil concentration is effected with respect to a separated portion of the water by filtered flow through porous membrane walls to correspondingly increase the oil concentration within the other remaining portion of water being processed. The first portion of the processed water when sufficiently reduced in oil concentration is discharged for return to the oilspill location, while the remaining portion is collected until a sufficient level of oil concentration therein is achieved to permit disposal thereof by burning at the oilspill site.

Following the 1989 'Exxon Valdez' oilspill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, we studied the status of recovery of harlequin duck Histrionicus histrionicus populations during 1995 to 1998. We evaluated potential constraints on full recovery, including (1) exposure to residual oil; (2) food limitation; and (3) intrinsic demographic limitations on population growth rates. In this paper, we synthesize the findings from our work and incorporate information from other harlequin duck research and monitoring programs to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the response of this species to the 'Exxon Valdez' spill. We conclude that harlequin duck populations had not fully recovered by 1998. Furthermore, adverse effects continued as many as 9 yr after the oilspill, in contrast to the conventional paradigm that oilspill effects on bird populations are short-lived. These conclusions are based on the findings that (1) elevated cytochrome P450 (CYP1A) induction on oiled areas indicated continued exposure to oil in 1998; (2) adult female winter survival was lower on oiled than unoiled areas during 1995 to 1998; (3) fall population surveys by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game indicated numerical declines in oiled areas during 1995 to 1997; and (4) densities on oiled areas in 1996 and 1997 were lower than expected using models that accounted for effects of habitat attributes. Based on hypothesized links between oil contamination and demography, we suggest that harlequin duck population recovery was constrained primarily by continued oil exposure. Full population recovery will also be delayed by the time necessary for intrinsic population growth to allow return to pre-spill numbers following cessation of residual oilspill effects. Although not all wildlife species were affected by the 'Exxon Valdez' oilspill, and some others may have recovered quickly from any effects, harlequin duck life history characteristics and benthic, nearshore feeding habits make them susceptible to

It is possible to construct three features from the quad-pol coherency matrix of the X-Bragg scattering model, two that are independent of the relative permittivity, and one that is independent of the surface roughness. In this study we test these three features on Radarsat-2 and SIR-C data containing oilspill and look-alikes, in order to investigate the properties of these features for oilspill detection. We find that the features may distinguish oil from water, but are less sensitive to biogenic slicks and other look alikes. This useful for for operational oilspill detection.

Oilspill experiment results in the coastal waters of Diu, India, with an airborne DLR ESAR sensor are discussed with reference to the SAR frequency, polarization and viewing angle. The SAR data acquired in the quad polarization of the L band and dual polarization of the C band over two spills are studied. A higher oil and water contrast is observed in the L-VV polarization than in the C-HH mode. Oilspill discrimination is possible over a wider view angle of the airborne SAR sensor data in L band than in C band. This study has also analyzed the spread and drift of oil in coastal waters. PMID:25813716

Marine oilspills constitute an environmental disaster with severe adverse effects on the economy and ecosystem. Phase-selective organogelators (PSOGs), molecules that can congeal oil selectively from oil-water mixtures, have been proposed to be useful for oil-spill recovery. However, a major drawback lies in the mode of application of the PSOG to an oilspill spread over a large area. The proposed method of using carrier solvents is impractical for various reasons. Direct application of the PSOG as a solid, although it would be ideal, is unknown, presumably owing to poor dispersion of the solid through the oil. We have designed five cheap and easy-to-make glucose-derived PSOGs that disperse in the oil phase uniformly when applied as a fine powder. These gelators were shown to selectively congeal many oils, including crude oil, from oil-water mixtures to form stable gels, which is an essential property for efficient oil-spill recovery. We have demonstrated that these PSOGs can be applied aerially as a solid powder onto a mixture of crude oil and sea water and the congealed oil can then be scooped out. Our innovative mode of application and low cost of the PSOG offers a practical solution to oil-spill recovery. PMID:26821611

Integration of oilspill modeling with coastal resource information could be useful for protecting the coastal environment from oilspills. A scenario-based risk assessment and sensitivity indexing were performed for the Chennai coast by integrating a coastal resource information system and an oilspill trajectory model. The fate analysis of spilledoil showed that 55% of oil out of a total volume of 100m(3) remained in the water column, affecting 800m of the shoreline. The seasonal scenarios show major impact during the southwest (SW) and northeast (NE) monsoons and more fatal effects on marine pelagic organisms during SW monsoon. The OilSpill Risk Assessment Modeler tool was constructed in a geographic information systems (GIS) platform to analyze the risks, sensitivity mapping, and priority indexing of resources that are likely to be affected by oilspills along the Chennai coast. The results of sensitivity mapping and the risk assessment results can help organizations take measures to combat oilspills in a timely manner. PMID:27016958

The detection of accidentally or illegal marine oil discharges in the German territorial waters of the North Sea and Baltic Sea is of great importance for combating of oilspills and protection of the marine ecosystem. Therefore the German Federal Ministry of Transport set up an airborne surveillance system consisting of two Dornier DO 228-212 aircrafts equipped with a Side-Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR), a IR/UV sensor, a Microwave Radiometer (MWR) for quantification and a Laser-Flurosensor (LFS) for classification purposes of the oilspills. The flight parameters and the remote sensing data are stored in a database during the flight. A Pollution Observation Log is completed by the operator consisting of information about the detected oilspill (e.g. position, length, width) and several other information about the flight (e.g. name of navigator, name of observer). The objective was to develop an oilspill information system which integrates the described data, metadata and includes visualization and spatial analysis capabilities. The metadata are essential for further statistical analysis in spatial and temporal domains of oilspill occurrences and of the surveillance itself. It should facilitate the communication and distribution of metadata between the administrative bodies and partners of the German oilspill surveillance system. A connection between a GIS and the database allows to use the powerful visualization and spatial analysis functionality of the GIS in conjunction with the oilspill database.

Small or large oilspills resulting from accidents on oil and gas platforms or due to the maritime traffic comprise a major environmental threat for all marine and coastal systems, and they are responsible for huge economic losses concerning the human infrastructures and the tourism. This work aims at presenting the integration of oil-spill model, bathymetric, meteorological, oceanographic, geomorphological and geological data to assess the impact of oilspills in maritime regions such as bays, as well as in the open sea, carried out in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea within the frame of NEREIDs, MEDESS-4MS and RAOP-Med EU projects. The MEDSLIK oilspill predictions are successfully combined with bathymetric analyses, the shoreline susceptibility and hazard mapping to predict the oil slick trajectories and the extend of the coastal areas affected. Based on MEDSLIK results, oilspill spreading and dispersion scenarios are produced both for non-mitigated and mitigated oilspills. MEDSLIK model considers three response combating methods of floating oilspills: a) mechanical recovery using skimmers or similar mechanisms; b) destruction by fire, c) use of dispersants or other bio-chemical means and deployment of booms. Shoreline susceptibility map can be compiled for the study areas based on the Environmental Susceptibility Index. The ESI classification considers a range of values between 1 and 9, with level 1 (ESI 1) representing areas of low susceptibility, impermeable to oil spilt during accidents, such as linear shorelines with rocky cliffs. In contrast, ESI 9 shores are highly vulnerable, and often coincide with natural reserves and special protected areas. Additionally, hazard maps of the maritime and coastal areas, possibly exposed to the danger on an oilspill, evaluate and categorize the hazard in levels from low to very high. This is important because a) Prior to an oilspill accident, hazard and shoreline susceptibility maps are made available to design

We determined the bioavailability to sediment dwelling marine worms of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with offshore sediments from 3 spill path and 3 non-spill path areas of Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska, 12 years after the Exxon Valdez oilspill. The PAHs in sediments from 4 sites sampled in 2001 were primarily from a regional natural petrogenic background derived from organic-rich shales and natural oil seeps associated with sources southeast of PWS. Pyrogenic (combustion) PAHs, primarily from former human and industrial activities, were more abundant than petrogenic PAHs in nearshore sediments from 2 bays associated with past and current human activities. We performed sediment bioaccumulation tests with the six sediments and polychaete worms according to standard EPA protocols. All the PAHs had a very low bioavailability, as indicated by low values for biota/sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs) in the worms. Mean BSAFs for total PAHs (sum of 41 analyte groups) ranged from 0.002 to 0.009. The worms exposed to spill path and non-spill path sediments bioaccumulated small amounts of 4- and 5-ring PAHs, particularly fluoranthene and pyrene; these higher molecular weight PAHs are responsible for induction of mixed function oxygenase (MFO) activity in marine fish, birds, and mammals. These results may help to explain in part why fish from throughout PWS exhibit induced MFO activity. Elevated levels of MFO activity cannot be used as evidence of recent exposure by marine fish, birds, and mammals in the sound to Exxon Valdez oil.

Mangrove tidal wetland habitats are recognised as highly vulnerable to large and chronic oilspills. This review of current literature and public databases covers the last 6 decades, summarising global data on oilspill incidents affecting, or likely to have affected, mangrove habitat. Over this period, there have been at least 238 notable oilspills along mangrove shorelines worldwide. In total, at least 5.5milliontonnes of oil has been released into mangrove-lined, coastal waters, oiling possibly up to around 1.94millionha of mangrove habitat, and killing at least 126,000ha of mangrove vegetation since 1958. However, there were assessment limitations with incomplete and unavailable data, as well as unequal coverage across world regions. To redress the gaps described here in reporting on oilspill impacts on mangroves and their recovery worldwide, a number of recommendations and suggestions are made for refreshing and updating standard operational procedures for responders, managers and researchers alike. PMID:27373945

Possible oilspill accidents and operational pollution could have severe impacts on the Mediterranean basin. It is therefore crucial to provide decision makers, stakeholders, and public with trustworthy DSS (Decision Support System) based on the environmental monitoring, state-of-the-art modeling and innovative technology platforms. Innovative web-based decision support system, called WITOL (Where Is The Oil http://www.witoil.com), has been developed to maintain emergency management in case of oilspill accidents. WITOIL embraces (1) Lagrangian oilspill model MEDSLIK-II (De Dominicis et al., 2013 http://medslikii.bo.ingv.it) coupled with the basin-scale and regional operational oceanographic services; (2) two-modular block of oilspill forecast and uncertainty evaluation; (3) user visualization tool including web and mobile interface with visualization of geospatial information by means of Google Maps. Service-oriented approach plays a key role in the WITOIL DSS development. The system meets the real-time requirements in terms of performance and in dynamic service delivery. Client part of WITOIL is presented by a 8-language GUI (Graphical User Interface) supplied with a great variety of user services including a video tutorial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj_GokYy8MU). GUI allows users to configure and activate the system, visualize the results using Google Maps, and save them afterwards. Not only does a new generation of DSS require the oilspill forecast, but it also needs the evaluation of uncertainty, which is critical for efficient response, recovery, and mitigation. Uncertainty in prediction of the oil transport and transformation stems from the uncertain environment and data-sparse. A new methodology of uncertainty calculation with respect to initial conditions is incorporated in WITOIL DSS. The results are presented in probability terms. Special application to Android has been implemented to support users involved in the field operations. The system is

Dispersants are important tools in oilspill response. Taking advantage of the energy in even small waves, they disperse floating oil slicks into tiny droplets (<70 μm) that entrain in the water column and drift apart so that they do not re-agglomerate to re-form a floating slick. The dramatically increased surface area allows microbial access to much more of the oil, and diffusion and dilution lead to oil concentrations where natural background levels of biologically available oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus are sufficient for microbial growth and oil consumption. Dispersants are only used on substantial spills in relatively deep water (usually >10 m), conditions that are impossible to replicate in the laboratory. To date, laboratory experiments aimed at following the biodegradation of dispersed oil usually show only minimal stimulation of the rate of biodegradation, but principally because the oil in these experiments disperses fairly effectively without dispersant. What is needed is a test protocol that allows comparison between an untreated slick that remains on the water surface during the entire biodegradation study and dispersant-treated oil that remains in the water column as small dispersed oil droplets. We show here that when this is accomplished, the rate of biodegradation is dramatically stimulated by an effective dispersant, Corexit 9500. Further development of this approach might result in a useful tool for comparing the full benefits of different dispersants. PMID:23943003

Fate and transport of spilled petroleum oils in aquatic environments is highly dependent upon oil droplet behavior which is a function of chemical composition, dispersibility (natural and chemically-enhanced) and droplet size distribution (DSD) of the oil. DSD is influenced by mixing energy, temperature, salinity, pressure, presence of dissolved and particulate materials, flow rate of release, and application of dispersants. To better understand DSD and droplet behavior under varying physical conditions, flask-scale experiments are often insufficient. Rather, wave tank simulations allow for scaling to field conditions. Presented here are experiment results from the Bedford Institute of Oceanography wave tank facility, where chemically-dispersed (Corexit 9500; DOR = 1:20) Louisiana Sweet crude, IFO-120 and ANS crude oil were exposed to mixing energies to achieve dispersant effectiveness observed in the field. Oil plumes were simulated, both surface and subsea releases with varying water temperature and flow rate. Fluorometers (Chelsea Technologies Group AQUATracka, Turner Designs Cyclops, WET Labs Inc ECO) and particle size analyzers (Sequoia LISST) were used to track the dispersed plumes in the tank and characterize oil droplets. Sensors were validated with known oil volumes (down to 300 ppb) and measured Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) and Benzene-Toluene-Ethylbenzene-Xylene (BTEX) values. This work has large implications for tracking surface and deep sea oil plumes with fluorescence and particle size analyzers, improved weathering and biodegradation estimates, and understanding the fate and transport of spilloil.

The ongoing oilspill from the blown-out well by the name of Macondo, drilled by the ill-fated rig Deepwater Horizon, has many features in common with another blowout in the Mexican Gulf that happened three decades ago. Then the oil gushed out from the Ixtoc I well drilled by the Sedco 135-F semi-submersible rig. In the years between these catastrophes, the source and nature of oilspills have undergone large changes. Huge spills from tankers that ran aground or collided used to be what caught the headlines and caused large ecological damage. The number and size of such accidental spills have decreased significantly. Instead, spills from ageing, ill-maintained or sabotaged pipelines have increased, and places like Arctic Russia, the Niger Delta, and the northwestern Amazon have become sites of reoccurring oil pollution. As for blowouts, there is no clear trend with regard to the number of incidences or amounts of spilledoil, but deepwater blowouts are much harder to cap and thus tend to go on longer and result in the release of larger quantities of oil. Also, oil exploration and extraction is moving into ever-deeper water and into stormier and icier seas, increasing potential risks. The risk for reoccurring spills like the two huge Mexican Gulf ones is eminent and must be reduced. PMID:21053719

Managing oilspill residues washing onto sandy beaches is a common worldwide environmental problem. In this study, we have analyzed the first-arrival oilspill residues collected from two Gulf of Mexico (GOM) beach systems following two recent oilspills: the 2014 Galveston Bay (GB) oilspill, and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oilspill. This is the first study to provide field observations and chemical characterization data for the 2014 GB oilspill. Here we compare the physical and chemical characteristics of GB oilspill samples with DWH oilspill samples and present their similarities and differences. Our field observations indicate that both oilspills had similar shoreline deposition patterns; however, their physical and chemical characteristics differed considerably. We highlight these differences, discuss their implications, and interpret GB data in light of lessons learned from previously published DWH oilspill studies. These analyses are further used to assess the long-term fate of GB oilspill residues and their potential environmental impacts. PMID:25714100

The oilspill resulting from the April 20, 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident provided an opportunity to test the effectiveness of using UV-NIR imaging spectroscopy for measuring the oil-to-water ratio, sub-pixel areal fraction, thickness, and volume of widespread emulsion slicks (Clark et al., 2010). The NASA/JPL Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) was used to measure the reflectance of the ocean over hundreds of km2 where it was covered by thin oil sheens (~0.2 to 6 microns) and thicker water-in-oil emulsions (~1 to 20 mm). Water-in-oil emulsions (hereafter referred to as "emulsions") have a strong UV absorption that imparts concentration-dependent colors in the visible, but are surprisingly bright (up to 60%) in reflectance between 1 and 1.3 microns, with diagnostic, sometimes overlapping C-H and H2O absorptions at 0.9, 1.2, 1.4, 1.75, 2, and 2.3 microns. An 80 km transect of the spill by boat from the Mississippi delta out to the incident site provided emulsion samples that were then used to create a series of emulsions that spanned nearly the entire oil:water ratio range by addition of seawater or evaporation of contained water. The diagnostic spectral features of this series, measured over a range of thicknesses, were used to map emulsion signatures in AVIRIS data collected during a relatively calm, nearly cloud-free day on May 17, 2010. This procedure allowed calculation of oil in emulsions on a per pixel basis of 19,000 to 34,000 barrels of oil in the AVIRIS scenes. Based on laboratory measurements, NIR photons only penetrate a few mm into water-in-oil emulsions, thus the volume of oil derived using this method is a minimum estimate. Sheens were too thin to exhibit diagnostic vibrational absorptions, and methods for estimating their volume with AVIRIS data are under development. AVIRIS only covered about 30% of the core spill area composed of emulsions and sheens. Thus, extrapolation of AVIRIS-derived emulsion coverage to the entire core

Historically, Exploration and Production (E and P) operators` environmental philosophy was a consequence of environmental damages, actual and perceived, caused by hydrocarbon spills. Pertamina/Maxus Southeast Sumatra, Inc. (Maxus), the largest offshore E and P operator in Indonesia has adopted a proactive philosophy as they operate offshore production and shipping facilities immediately adjacent to the Pulau Seribu (Thousand Island) National Marine Park and approximately 30 kilometers from the Southeast Sumatra coast. These ecosystems are of great concern to Indonesia and Maxus as they comprise approximately 250 km of tropical, sparsely inhabited coastline, 106 coral and lagoon islands, and habitats for numerous endangered species. This paper describes the contract zone within which Maxus operates; the environmental risks associated with E and P in this region; and Maxus` response to management of those risks. A significant component of Maxus` overall response has been the ESACOC project (Environmental Sensitivity and Characterization of Crude) undertaken during 1993. ESACOC is described here in regard to the use and interrelation of remote sensing, in-depth laboratory studies, and development of new sensitivity rankings techniques into one computer program for effective environmental and oilspill management. ESACOC illustrates the synthesis of seemingly diverse and unrelated data to develop an effective environmental management plan.

The memorandum supplements earlier guidance concerning a case-by-case approach to the referral of post-Oil Pollution Act (OPA) oilspills to the Coast Guard. Congress has rewritten Section 311 to provide additional administrative and judicial oilspill enforcement remedies when it passed the OPA, and noted in the legislative history that this new authority is available to both the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of Transportation.

In a review of the literature on impacts of spilledoil on marshes, 32 oilspills and field experiments were identified with sufficient data to generate recovery curves and identify influencing factors controlling the rate of recovery. For many spills, recovery occurred within 1-2 growing seasons, even in the absence of any treatment. Recovery was longest for spills with the following conditions: Cold climate; sheltered settings; thick oil on the marsh surface; light refined products with heavy loading; oils that formed persistent thick residues; and intensive treatment. Recovery was shortest for spills with the following conditions: Warm climate; light to heavy oiling of the vegetation only; medium crude oils; and less-intensive treatment. Recommendations are made for treatment based on the following oiling conditions: Free-floating oil on the water in the marsh; thicker oil (>0.5 cm) on marsh surface; thinner oil (<0.5 cm) on marsh surface; heavy oil loading on vegetation; and light to moderate oil loading on vegetation. PMID:24703808

H.R. 2223 would provide for expedited assessment of damages from major oilspills, and would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to disallow deduction of the costs for cleanup of oil or hazardous substance discharges. Upon receiving a petition for expedited preliminary damage, the administrator would immediately initiate an assessment of the damages to natural resources. Within 20 days if it is found to be a major spill, the administrator designates trustees for overseeing both Federal and state natural resources that are affected, establishes a commission of these trustees, makes a determination regarding the party responsible for the spill, and directs that party to establish a trust fund accessible to the commission in an amount determined to be adequate to pay reasonable costs incurred by the commission for a full assessment of the damages and for preparing a restoration and replacement plan. Deductions for cleanup of spills would be allowed only if it can be certified that the taxpayer made good faith efforts to comply with the Clean Water Act for oilspills or with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act for hazardous substances spills or if it can be proved that the spill was caused by an act of God, and act of war, negligence on the part of the US government, or an act of omission of a third party. The bill would be applicable to spills occurring after March 23, 1989.

Background The Deepwater Horizon disaster was the largest marine oilspill in history, and total vertical exposure of oil to the water column suggests it could impact an enormous diversity of ecosystems. The most vulnerable organisms are those encountering these pollutants during their early life stages. Water-soluble components of crude oil and specific polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been shown to cause defects in cardiovascular and craniofacial development in a variety of teleost species, but the developmental origins of these defects have yet to be determined. We have adopted zebrafish, Danio rerio, as a model to test whether water accumulated fractions (WAF) of the Deepwater Horizon oil could impact specific embryonic developmental processes. While not a native species to the Gulf waters, the developmental biology of zebrafish has been well characterized and makes it a powerful model system to reveal the cellular and molecular mechanisms behind Macondo crude toxicity. Results WAF of Macondo crude oil sampled during the oilspill was used to treat zebrafish throughout embryonic and larval development. Our results indicate that the Macondo crude oil causes a variety of significant defects in zebrafish embryogenesis, but these defects have specific developmental origins. WAF treatments caused defects in craniofacial development and circulatory function similar to previous reports, but we extend these results to show they are likely derived from an earlier defect in neural crest cell development. Moreover, we demonstrate that exposure to WAFs causes a variety of novel deformations in specific developmental processes, including programmed cell death, locomotor behavior, sensory and motor axon pathfinding, somitogenesis and muscle patterning. Interestingly, the severity of cell death and muscle phenotypes decreased over several months of repeated analysis, which was correlated with a rapid drop-off in the aromatic and alkane hydrocarbon components of the oil

The U.S. Geological Survey began a research project at the site of a crude-oilspill near Bemidji, Minnesota in 1983. The project is part of the U.S. Geological Survey's Toxic Substances Hydrology Program. The objectives of research at the site are to obtain an understanding of the mobilization, transport, and fate of petroleum derivatives in the shallow subsurface and to use this understanding to develop predictive models of contaminant behavior. This report presents a bibliography of scientific papers that have been published from 1984 to early 1994. Research results have been published in scientific journals, conference proceedings, U.S. Geological Survey Reports, and academic theses.

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 ( OPA'') and an even more problematic array of State pollution laws have raised the cost, and risk, of carrying oil into and out of the US. This report, prepared under contract to the US Department of energy's Office of Domestic and International Policy, examines the impact of Federal and State oilspill legislation on the tanker market. It reviews the role of marine transportation in US oil supply, explores the OPA and State oilspill laws, studies reactions to OPA in the tanker and tank barge industries and in related industries such as insurance and ship finance, and finally, discusses the likely developments in the years ahead. US waterborne oil imports amounted to 6.5 million B/D in 1991, three-quarters of which was crude oil. Imports will rise by almost 3 million B/D by 2000 according to US Department of energy forecasts, with most of the crude oil growth after 1995. Tanker demand will grow even faster: most of the US imports and the increased traffic to other world consuming regions will be on long-haul trades. Both the number of US port calls by tankers and the volume of offshore lightering will grow. Every aspect of the tanker industry's behavior is affected by OPA and a variety of State pollution laws.

A numerical model system was developed to assess quantitatively the probability that endangered bowhead and gray whales will encounter spilledoil in Alaskan waters. Bowhead and gray whale migration and diving-surfacing models, and an oil-spill trajectory model comprise the system. The migration models were developed from conceptual considerations, then calibrated with and tested against observations. The movement of a whale point is governed by a random walk algorithm which stochastically follows a migratory pathway. The oil-spill model, developed under a series of other contracts, accounts for transport and spreading behavior in open water and in the presence of sea ice. Historical wind records and heavy, normal, or light ice cover data sets are selected at random to provide stochastic oil-spill scenarios for whale-oil interaction simulations.

The estimated risks of being impacted by oilspills in the coastal waters were used to improve the oilspill contingency plan of Thailand. Functional roles of local agencies are integrated into the plan. Intensive measures are suggested for the coastal provinces located in high-very high risk zones, whereas light and moderate measures are suggested for the coastal provinces located in low and moderate risk zones, respectively. The estimated percentage risks due to simulated oil slicks hitting the coast and/or important resources (PRoilspill) were used to guide the year-round water activities that should be carefully handled at a certain radius with a low-moderate PRoilspill, whereas they should be avoided at a certain radius with a high-very high PRoilspill. Important measures before, during, and post periods of an oilspill incident are suggested to prevent and monitor oilspill incidents and mitigate their impacts on the environment. PMID:25455821

Based on a Lagrangian integral technique and Lagrangian particle-tracking technique, a numerical model was developed to simulate the underwater transport of oil from a deepwater spill. This model comprises two submodels: a plume dynamics model and an advection-diffusion model. The former is used to simulate the stages dominated by the initial jet momentum and plume buoyancy of the spilledoil, while the latter is used to simulate the stage dominated by the ambient current and turbulence. The model validity was verified through comparisons of the model predictions with experimental data from several laboratory flume experiments and a field experiment. To demonstrate the capability of the model further, it was applied to the simulation of a hypothetical oilspill occurring at the seabed of a deepwater oil/gas field in the South China Sea. The results of the simulation would be useful for contingency planning with regard to the emergency response to an underwater oilspill.

A series of experiments in Willapa Bay, Washington, indicates the degree to which the presence of spilledoil modifies the burrowing behavior of infauna and the extent to which the animals redistribute oil into intertidal sediment. Small amounts of North Slope crude oil introduced at low tide directly into burrow openings (mostly made by the crustacean Callianassa) resulted in a limited and temporary reduction in the number of burrow openings. In contrast, a layer of oil-saturated sand 1 cm thick buried about 5 cm below the sediment surface sharply reduced the number of burrow openings. After a year, the few new burrows penetrated only the margins of the experimental plot, and bioturbation below the buried oil-saturated sand layer declined dramatically. The experiments suggest that small amounts of oil temporarily stranded by tides in themselves have no long-range effect on burrowing behavior. The fauna, however, are capable of introducing measurable amounts of oil into the subsurface, where it is retained long after the rest of the stranded oil had washed away. A buried layer of oil-saturated sand greatly reduces infaunal activity; the oil presents an effective barrier that can persist for years. The oil incorporated into the sediment from burrow openings showed evidence of degradation after 7 months. In contrast the layer of buried oil remained essentially undergraded after a period of two years, even though oil in lower concentrations above the layer was degraded after a period of one year. This variation in degree of degradation of the buried oil, as well as the heterogeneity of oil distribution wherever the oil has been incorporated from the surface, emphasises the importance of careful sampling in any attempt to locate or monitor the presence of spilledoil in the substrate.In a series of experiments in Willapa Bay, Washington, small amounts of North Slope crude oil introduced at low tide directly into burrow openings resulted in a limited and temporary

As a new analytical method to identify oilspill on sea, the main effect of polarization measurement system is the scattering polarization information of different measured parts. This paper observed the polarization characteristic of oil film and seawater, and analyzed the transmission path of polarized light in the samples. Combined with Fresnel formula and law of Beer, the path of polarized light was divided into three parts, and the light propagation between the molecules was analyzed in detail. The results were affected by the capacity to change the polarization state. In order to quantify the equivalence, we defined an equivalent consumption efficiency (ECE). The ECE describes the ability of the molecules to weaken the polarization attribute of incident light. Then according to the polarization information in Mueller matrix, we inferred that the oil film and seawater had different polarization characteristics. In order to verify the correctness of the model, we applied it to detect the actual oilspill on sea in the case of simulated sunlight finally. Research indicated that the propagation path of polarization light was in connection with the molecular structure and interactions of medium. Under the different measuring angles, the ECE of oil film and seawater have both differences and regularities, the experimental results indicated that it can be used for rapid detection of oilspill on sea, and the data is accurate and reliable.

This study presents the proof-of-concept of the "Oil-Spill Snorkel": a novel bioelectrochemical approach to stimulate the oxidative biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in sediments. The "Oil-Spill Snorkel" consists of a single conductive material (the snorkel) positioned suitably to create an electrochemical connection between the anoxic zone (the contaminated sediment) and the oxic zone (the overlying O2-containing water). The segment of the electrode buried within the sediment plays a role of anode, accepting electrons deriving from the oxidation of contaminants. Electrons flow through the snorkel up to the part exposed to the aerobic environment (the cathode), where they reduce oxygen to form water. Here we report the results of lab-scale microcosms setup with marine sediments and spiked with crude oil. Microcosms containing one or three graphite snorkels and controls (snorkel-free and autoclaved) were monitored for over 400 days. Collectively, the results of this study confirmed that the snorkels accelerate oxidative reactions taking place within the sediment, as documented by a significant 1.7-fold increase (p = 0.023, two-tailed t-test) in the cumulative oxygen uptake and 1.4-fold increase (p = 0.040) in the cumulative CO2 evolution in the microcosms containing three snorkels compared to snorkel-free controls. Accordingly, the initial rate of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) degradation was also substantially enhanced. Indeed, while after 200 days of incubation a negligible degradation of TPH was noticed in snorkel-free controls, a significant reduction of 12 ± 1% (p = 0.004) and 21 ± 1% (p = 0.001) was observed in microcosms containing one and three snorkels, respectively. Although, the "Oil-Spill Snorkel" potentially represents a groundbreaking alternative to more expensive remediation options, further research efforts are needed to clarify factors and conditions affecting the snorkel-driven biodegradation processes and to identify suitable

The explosion on April 20, 2010 at the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, resulted in oil and gas rising to the surface and the oil coming ashore in many parts of the Gulf, it also resulted in the dispersment of an immense oil plume 4,000 feet below the surface of the water. Despite spanning more than 600 feet in the water column and extending more than 10 miles from the wellhead, the dispersed oil plume was gone within weeks after the wellhead was capped - degraded and diluted to undetectable levels. Furthermore, this degradation took place without significant oxygen depletion. Ecogenomics enabled discovery of new and unclassified species of oil-eating bacteria that apparently lives in the deep Gulf where oil seeps are common. Using 16s microarrays, functional gene arrays, clone libraries, lipid analysis and a variety of hydrocarbon and micronutrient analyses we were able to characterize the oil degraders. Metagenomic sequence data was obtained for the deep-water samples using the Illumina platform. In addition, single cells were sorted and sequenced for the some of the most dominant bacteria that were represented in the oil plume; namely uncultivated representatives of Colwellia and Oceanospirillum. In addition, we performed laboratory microcosm experiments using uncontaminated water collected from The Gulf at the depth of the oil plume to which we added oil and COREXIT. These samples were characterized by 454 pyrotag. The results provide information about the key players and processes involved in degradation of oil, with and without COREXIT, in different impacted environments in The Gulf of Mexico. We are also extending these studies to explore dozens of deep sediment samples that were also collected after the oilspill around the wellhead. This data suggests that a great potential for intrinsic bioremediation of oil plumes exists in the deep-sea and other environs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Subjects covered include all aspects of aquatic and terrestrial oil pollution. Items in Section I are categorized by seven major subdivisions which are divided into thirty-two specific subject categories. These are presented in the Table of Contents. Patents and patent applicatio...

An analysis of the effects of potential oilspills will provide data in support of decisions related to improving the response to oilspills and its emergency management. We selected the Chinese Bohai Sea, especially the Bohai Strait, as our investigation region to provide an assessment of the effects of pollution from ship-related oilspills on adjacent coastal zones. Ship-related accidents are one of the major factors causing potential oilspills in this area. A three dimensional oil transport and transformation model was developed using the Estuary, Coastal, and Ocean Model. This proposed model was run 90 times and each run lasted for 15days to simulate the spread and weathering processes of oil for each of four potential spill sites, which represented potential sites of ship collisions along heavy traffic lanes in the Bohai Sea. Ten neighboring coastal areas were also considered as target zones that potentially could receive pollutants once oilspilled in the study areas. The statistical simulations showed that spills in winter were much worse than those in summer; they resulted in very negative effects on several specific target zones coded Z7, Z8, Z9, and Z10 in this paper. In addition, sites S3 (near the Penglai city) and S4 (near the Yantai city) were the two most at-risk sites with a significantly high probability of pollution if spills occurred nearby during winter. The results thus provided practical guidelines for local oilspill prevention, as well as an emergency preparedness and response program. PMID:27357917

On March 24, 1989, the supertanker Exxon Valdex ran aground on a well-marked reef in Prince William Sound. Within a few hours 10.8 million gallons of Alaska North Slope crude oil had leaked into one of the most bountiful and diverse marine ecosystems in the world. This environmental disaster resulted in a court settlement that included $900 million to be administered by the joint state and federal Exxon Valdex OilSpill Trustee council for damage assessment and restoration. The National Technical Information Service is making these studies available to the public as they are released by the Trustee Council. Of particular interest to oil companies, environmental groups, education institutions and large public libraries, this peer-reviewed collection will include about 70 damage assessment reports followed by 40 to 50 restoration study documents each year through the year 2001. The initial damage assessment papers are due for release in May 1995. NTIS is offering the material both on demand when each study is released and also as a standing order. By choosing the standing order plan, customers save handling cost and ensure automatic shipping of the entire series as soon as each report is available.

A survey of zooplankton physiology on the northern coast of Brittany (France) was carried out over a one-year period by comparing two estuarine areas, one oil-polluted area (Aber Benoit) following the oilspill by the tanker “Amoco Cadiz” and one non-oil-polluted area (Rade de Brest). A new approach to an ecological survey was made by describing trophic relationships using analysis of digestive enzyme equipment (amylase and trypsin) of zooplankton organisms, mesoplankton populations and some selected species. These measurements allowed determination of (a) groups of populations with homogeneous trophic and faunistic characteristics and (b) groups of species with homogeneous trophic characteristics. The study of the appearance of these groups over a one-year period revealed the succession of populations and their adaptation to the environment on the basis of biochemical analysis. These phenomena observed in the compared areas showed marked differences in the most polluted areas during the productive spring period. Specific treatment of the data using unusual correlations between digestive enzymes is discussed in terms of the immediate effect on the whole population and on a copepod ( Anomalocera patersoni) living in the upper 10 cm.

Response actions to the Deepwater Horizon oilspill included the injection of ∼771,000 gallons (2,900,000 L) of chemical dispersant into the flow of oil near the seafloor. Prior to this incident, no deepwater applications of dispersant had been conducted, and thus no data exist on the environmental fate of dispersants in deepwater. We used ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) to identify and quantify one key ingredient of the dispersant, the anionic surfactant DOSS (dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate), in the Gulf of Mexico deepwater during active flow and again after flow had ceased. Here we show that DOSS was sequestered in deepwater hydrocarbon plumes at 1000-1200 m water depth and did not intermingle with surface dispersant applications. Further, its concentration distribution was consistent with conservative transport and dilution at depth and it persisted up to 300 km from the well, 64 days after deepwater dispersant applications ceased. We conclude that DOSS was selectively associated with the oil and gas phases in the deepwater plume, yet underwent negligible, or slow, rates of biodegradation in the affected waters. These results provide important constraints on accurate modeling of the deepwater plume and critical geochemical contexts for future toxicological studies. PMID:21265576

Examined the moral and ecological reasoning of second, fifth, and eighth graders regarding the Exxon Valdez oilspill. Found that children understood negative effects of the spill, cared that harm occurred to shoreline and marine life, and thought it violated a moral obligation. Fifth and eighth graders used a greater proportion of anthropocentric…

Deepwater spills result in oil distributed from deep in the water column to the water surface. The objective of this study was to test eight of the available dispersants (including Corexit 9500A, which was used extensively on the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Spill) on South Louisiana C...

The bibliography contains citations concerning equipment and techniques used for control, detection, dispersion, and disposal of oilspills particularly within harbors and estuaries. Topics include chemical dispersants, mechanical skimmers, and biodegradation. The citations also explore spill impact on habitats, marine life, and water birds. (Contains 250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

The bibliography contains citations concerning equipment and techniques used for control, detection, dispersion, and disposal of oilspills particularly within harbors and estuaries. Topics include chemical dispersants, mechanical skimmers, and biodegradation. The citations also explore spill impact on habitats, marine life, and water birds. (Contains 250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

The bibliography contains citations concerning equipment and techniques used for control, detection, dispersion, and disposal of oilspills particularly within harbors and estuaries. Topics include chemical dispersants, mechanical skimmers, and biodegradation. The citations also explore spill impact on habitats, marine life, and water birds. (Contains 250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

The bibliography contains citations concerning equipment and techniques used for control, detection, dispersion, and disposal of oilspills particularly within harbors and estuaries. Topics include chemical dispersants, mechanical skimmers, and biodegradation. The citations also explore spill impact on habitats, marine life, and water birds. (Contains 250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)

The primary objective of this two-and-one half year research effort was to determine the environmental and economic impacts of the NEPCO 140 oilspill. This spill occurred in the freshwater environment of the St. Lawrence River on June 23, 1976. The cleanup operation, which cost ...

The Mediterranean is a semi-enclosed basin heavily polluted by industrial outlets and spills from ships. Since the area is very fragile with strong environmental and commercial interests relying on clean water, a strong interest to protect the area has grown up. Intentional oilspills from ships washing their oil tanks is a significant problem in the Mediterranean. A promising technique for monitoring a large sea area for oil-spill early warning is by means of satellite SAR. ERS-1 and 2 have already been used for manual oilspill detection in North Europe for several years. With Radarsat and soon also ENVISAT, frequent satellite coverage of the Mediterranean will be possible. An European Union research project is currently developing a prototype system for automatic detection, verification, assessment and cleanup support. The prototype uses a feature extraction and classification scheme for the automatic detection. A design goal is to detect 98% of the oil slicks with a low rate of false alarms. Experiments so far indicate that it should be possible to reach this goal. An expected requirement for ships to record their route by a GPS system will in combination with automatic oilspill detection be a powerful tool to identify ships dumping oil. It is expected that such a system will have a significant preventive effect reducing intentional oilspills.

The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oilspill was the largest environmental disaster and response effort in U.S. history, with nearly 800 million liters of crude oilspilled. Vast areas of the Gulf of Mexico were contaminated with oil, including deep-ocean communities and over 1,600 kilometers of shoreline. Multiple species of pelagic, tidal, and estuarine organisms; sea turtles; marine mammals; and birds were affected, and over 20 million hectares of the Gulf of Mexico were closed to fishing. Several large-scale field efforts were performed, including assessments of shoreline and wildlife oiling and of coastal waters and sediments. The assessment of injuries, damages, and restoration options for the DWH spill is ongoing. Although petroleum and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon component of oils are known to affect the immune systems of aquatic organisms and wildlife, immunotoxicity is not typically assessed during oilspills and has not been a focus of the DHW assessment. The effects of oilspill contaminants on immune responses are variable and often exposure dependent, but immunotoxic effects seem likely from the DHW spill based on the reported effects of a variety of oils on both aquatic and wildlife species. PMID:22105647

This study investigates the impact of repeated diesel spills on the structure of intertidal macrofaunal assemblages of a subtropical estuary. Three frequencies of exposure events were compared against two dosages of oil in a factorial experiment with asymmetrical controls. Hypotheses were tested to distinguish between (i) the overall effect of oilspills, (ii) the effect of diesel dosage via different exposure regimes, and (iii) the effect of time since last spill. Repeated oilspills dramatically altered the overall structure of assemblages and reduced the total density of macrofauna and densities of dominant taxa. Increasing the frequency of oilspills negatively affected macrofauna. In general, frequent low-dosage oilspills were more deleterious than infrequent high-dosage ones. However, increases in densities of some taxa, mainly the gastropod Heleobia australis, were observed in response to infrequent spills. Our results highlight the importance of repeated exposure events in determining the extent of oil impacts. PMID:26890483

Marine oilspills due to releases of crude oil from tankers, offshore platforms, drilling rigs and wells, etc. are seriously affecting the fragile marine and coastal ecosystem and cause political and environmental concern. A catastrophic explosion and subsequent fire in the Deepwater Horizon oil platform caused the platform to burn and sink, and oil leaked continuously between April 20th and July 15th of 2010, releasing about 780,000 m3 of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Today, space-borne SAR sensors are extensively used for the detection of oilspills in the marine environment, as they are independent from sun light, not affected by cloudiness, and more cost-effective than air patrolling due to covering large areas. In this study, generalization extent of an object based classification algorithm was tested for oilspill detection using multiple SAR imagery data. Among many geometrical, physical and textural features, some more distinctive ones were selected to distinguish oil and look alike objects from each others. The tested classifier was constructed from a Multilayer Perception Artificial Neural Network trained by ABC, LM and BP optimization algorithms. The training data to train the classifier were constituted from SAR data consisting of oilspill originated from Lebanon in 2007. The classifier was then applied to the Deepwater Horizon oilspill data in the Gulf of Mexico on RADARSAT-2 and ALOS PALSAR images to demonstrate the generalization efficiency of oil slick classification algorithm.

Climate monitoring and natural disaster rapid assessment require baseline measurements that can be tracked over time to distinguish anthropogenic versus natural changes to the Earth system. Disasters like the Deepwater Horizon OilSpill require constant monitoring to assess the potential environmental and economic impacts. Absolute calibration and validation of Earth-observing sensors is needed to allow for comparison of temporally separated data sets and provide accurate information to policy makers. The Ball Experimental Sea Surface Temperature (BESST) radiometer was designed and built by Ball Aerospace to provide a well calibrated measure of sea surface temperature (SST) from an unmanned aerial system (UAS). Currently, emissive skin SST observed by satellite infrared radiometers is validated by shipborne instruments that are expensive to deploy and can only take a few data samples along the ship track to overlap within a single satellite pixel. Implementation on a UAS will allow BESST to map the full footprint of a satellite pixel and perform averaging to remove any local variability due to the difference in footprint size of the instruments. It also enables the capability to study this sub-pixel variability to determine if smaller scale effects need to be accounted for in models to improve forecasting of ocean events. In addition to satellite sensor validation, BESST can distinguish meter scale variations in SST which could be used to remotely monitor and assess thermal pollution in rivers and coastal areas as well as study diurnal and seasonal changes to bodies of water that impact the ocean ecosystem. BESST was recently deployed on a conventional Twin Otter airplane for measurements over the Gulf of Mexico to access the thermal properties of the ocean surface being affected by the oilspill. Results of these measurements will be presented along with ancillary sensor data used to eliminate false signals including UV and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR

The 1989 Exxon Valdez oilspill caused significant injury to wildlife populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA. Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) were particularly vulnerable to the spill and have been studied extensively since, leading to one of the most thorough considerations of the consequences of a major oilspill ever undertaken. We compiled demographic and survey data collected since the spill to evaluate the timing and extent of mortality using a population model. During the immediate aftermath of the spill, we estimated a 25% decrease in Harlequin Duck numbers in oiled areas. Survival rates remained depressed in oiled areas 6-9 years after the spill and did not equal those from unoiled areas until at least 11-14 years later. Despite a high degree of site fidelity to wintering sites, immigration was important for recovery dynamics, as the relatively large number of birds from habitats outside the spill zone provided a pool of individuals to facilitate numerical increases. On the basis of these model inputs and assumptions about fecundity rates for the species, we projected a timeline to recovery of 24 years under the most-likely combination of variables, with a range of 16 to 32 years for the best-case and worst-case scenarios, respectively. Our results corroborate assertions from other studies that the effects of spilledoil on wildlife can be expressed over much longer time frames than previously assumed and that the cumulative mortality associated with chronic exposure to residual oil may actually exceed acute mortality, which has been the primary concern following most oilspills. PMID:21049885

Abstract River otters (Lutra canadensis) living in marine environments of Prince William Sound, Alaska, exposed to crude oil from the Exxon Valdez spill in March 1989, showed significantly elevated levels of faecal porphyrin over those of otters from non-oiled areas (oiled mean = 48.2, andnon-oiled mean = 34.5 nmol g(-1) dry faeces). Profiles of uro-, hepta-, hexa-, penta-, copro-, andprotoporphyrin profiles were qualitatively characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography. These findings suggest that river otters may serve as a suitable indicator species in which porphyrin profiles can be used to monitor the effects of marine andfreshwater crude oil exposure. Also, this is the first model showing the effects of an oilspill on porphyrins on a free-ranging mammal using a non-lethal methodology. These effects were detectable 1 year after the spill andfollowing a major effort to clean oil from the shorelines of Prince William Sound. PMID:23888993

The 2011 oilspill in the Bohai Sea was the largest spill event in China. Nine sediment cores were taken near the spill site and environmental factors including Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAHs), oils, sulfides, organic carbon were measured 6 months later. Benthic foraminifera were separated into >150 μm (large) and 63-150 μm (small) size fractions for 2-cm depth interval of each sediment core. Statistical analyses suggested that the species composition of living foraminifera was impacted by oils, PAHs and sulfides. Large foraminifera were more sensitive to the oils than the small. Abnormal specimens were positively correlated with oils or PAHs. Small forms, however, tended to have high reproduction and mortality. Pollution-resistant and opportunistic taxa were identified to calculate a Foraminiferal Index of Environmental Impacts (FIEI). The FIEI increased from low to high oil-polluted station and from deep layer to surface sediment reflects the impact of oil pollution in this area. PMID:26002093

Biogeographical analyses provide insights on how the Deepwater Horizon oilspill impacted large pelagic fishes. We georeferenced historical ichthyoplankton surveys and published literature to map the spawning and larval areas of bluefin tuna, swordfish, blue marlin and whale shark sightings in the Gulf of Mexico with daily satellite-derived images detecting surface oil. The oilspill covered critical areas used by large pelagic fishes. Surface oil was detected in 100% of the northernmost whale shark sightings, in 32.8 % of the bluefin tuna spawning area and 38 % of the blue marlin larval area. No surface oil was detected in the swordfish spawning and larval area. Our study likely underestimates the extend of the oilspill due to satellite sensors detecting only the upper euphotic zone and the use of dispersants altering crude oil density, but provides a previously unknown spatio-temporal analysis.

In recent years, oilspill accidents occur frequently in the marine area of China. Finding out the spilledoil source is a key step in the relevant investigation. In this paper, a step-by-step fingerprinting identification method was used in a spilledoil accident in the Bohai Sea in 2002. Advanced chemical fingerprinting and data interpretation techniques were used to characterize the chemical composition and determine the possible sources of two spilledoil samples. The original gas chromatography -flame ionization detection (GC-FID) chromatogram of saturated hydrocarbons was compared. The gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) chromatograms of aromatic hydrocarbons terpane and sterane, n-alkane and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed. The correlation analysis on diagnostic ratios was performed with Student's t-test. It is found that the oil fingerprinting of the spilledoil (designated as sz1) from the polluted sand beach was identical with the suspected oil (designated as ky1) from a nearby crude oil refinery factory. They both showed the fingerprinting character of mixed oil. The oil fingerprinting of the spilledoil (designated as ms1) collected from the port was significantly different from oil ky1 and oil sz1 and was with a lubricating oil fingerprint character. The identification result not only gave support for the spilledoil investigation, but also served as an example for studying spilledoil accidents.

During the two-week period following the Exxon Valdez oilspill in March 1989 in Prince William Sound, Alaska, toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) evaporated from the surface of the oilspill and were transported and dispersed throughout the region. To estimate the air concentrations of these VOCs, emissions and dispersion modeling was conducted for each hour during the first two weeks of the spill. A multicomponent evaporative emissions model was developed and applied to the oilspill; the model considered the evaporation of 15 specific compounds, including benzene and toluene. Both mass transfer from the surface of the spill and diffusion through the oil layer were considered in the emissions model. Maximum emissions of toluene were calculated to equal about 20,000 kg/hr, or about 5 g/m[sup 2] hr, at a time of eight hours after the initial oilspill. Meteorological data were acquired from sources and used to estimate hourly-averaged wind velocity over the spill. Air concentrations of specific components were calculated using the ATDL area source diffusion model and the Offshore and Coastal Dispersion (OCD) model. Maximum hourly-averaged concentrations were predicted not to exceed 10 ppmv for any compound. 24 refs., 6 figs., 4 tabs.

When there is a man-made catastrophic event that adversely affects environment or the health and safety of the public, the government steps in to make and enforce laws to help prevent the reoccurrence of such events. This is the case with the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) which was signed into law by President Bush in August of 1990. According to the EPA, the federal government received 42,000 notifications of oil discharges during the years of 1988 through 1990. In 1989, 38 spills exceeded 100,000 gallons including the infamous Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska`s Prince William Sound. The Federal government has not been alone in its interest with oilspill prevention and response. Many states have also enacted laws with the intent of protecting the environment from damage due to oilspills. The state of Texas enacted the OilSpill Prevention and Response Act (OSPRA) of 1991 which compliments and expands on OPA. The most significant requirement of both of these laws is that of the Facility Response Plan (FRP). Both Federal and State agencies encourage the development of one plan for spill response and prevention. The use of one plan makes sense because this eliminates the opportunity for discrepancies land simplifies response during an actual spill. The purpose of this paper is to aid the petroleum industry in determining whether it is required to have a FRP, and if it is, how to develop a plan that will comply with both OPA and OSPRA.

The Deepwater Horizon oilspill impacted Louisiana's coastal estuaries physically, chemically, and biologically. To better understand the ecological consequences of this oilspill on Louisiana estuaries, we compared the abundance and size of two Gulf shrimp species (Farfantepeneus aztecus and Litopeneus setiferus) in heavily affected and relatively unaffected estuaries, before and after the oilspill. Two datasets were used to conduct this study: data on shrimp abundance and size before the spill were available from Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). Data on shrimp abundance and size from after the spill were independently collected by the authors and by LDWF. Using a Before-After-Control-Impact with Paired sampling (BACIP) design with monthly samples of two selected basins, we found brown shrimp to become more abundant and the mean size of white shrimp to become smaller. Using a BACIP with data on successive shrimp year-classes of multiple basins, we found both species to become more abundant in basins that were affected by the spill, while mean shrimp size either not change after the spill, or increased in both affected and unaffected basins. We conclude that following the oilspill abundances of both species increased within affected estuaries, whereas mean size may have been unaffected. We propose two factors that may have caused these results: 1) exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may have reduced the growth rate of shrimp, resulting in a delayed movement of shrimp to offshore habitats, and an increase of within-estuary shrimp abundance, and 2) fishing closures established immediately after the spill, may have resulted in decreased fishing effort and an increase in shrimp abundance. This study accentuates the complexities in determining ecological effects of oilspills, and the need of studies on the organismal level to reveal cause-and-effect relationships of such events. PMID:25272142

The Deepwater Horizon oilspill impacted Louisiana's coastal estuaries physically, chemically, and biologically. To better understand the ecological consequences of this oilspill on Louisiana estuaries, we compared the abundance and size of two Gulf shrimp species (Farfantepeneus aztecus and Litopeneus setiferus) in heavily affected and relatively unaffected estuaries, before and after the oilspill. Two datasets were used to conduct this study: data on shrimp abundance and size before the spill were available from Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). Data on shrimp abundance and size from after the spill were independently collected by the authors and by LDWF. Using a Before-After-Control-Impact with Paired sampling (BACIP) design with monthly samples of two selected basins, we found brown shrimp to become more abundant and the mean size of white shrimp to become smaller. Using a BACIP with data on successive shrimp year-classes of multiple basins, we found both species to become more abundant in basins that were affected by the spill, while mean shrimp size either not change after the spill, or increased in both affected and unaffected basins. We conclude that following the oilspill abundances of both species increased within affected estuaries, whereas mean size may have been unaffected. We propose two factors that may have caused these results: 1) exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may have reduced the growth rate of shrimp, resulting in a delayed movement of shrimp to offshore habitats, and an increase of within-estuary shrimp abundance, and 2) fishing closures established immediately after the spill, may have resulted in decreased fishing effort and an increase in shrimp abundance. This study accentuates the complexities in determining ecological effects of oilspills, and the need of studies on the organismal level to reveal cause-and-effect relationships of such events. PMID:25272142

The response of mesozooplankton community structure to the Deepwater Horizon oilspill in the northern Gulf of Mexico was investigated using data from a long-term plankton survey off the coast of Alabama (USA). Environmental conditions observed in the study area during the oilspill (2010) were compared to historical observations (2005-2009), to support the contention that variations observed in zooplankton assemblage structure may be attributed to the oilspill, as opposed to natural climatic or environmental variations. Zooplankton assemblage structure observed during the oilspill period (May-August) in 2010 was then compared to historical observations from the same period (2005-2009). Significant variations were detected in assemblage structure in May and June 2010, but these changes were no longer significant by July 2010. The density of ostracods, cladocerans and echinoderm larvae were responsible for most of the differences observed, but patterns differed depending on taxa and months. Many taxa had higher densities during the oilspill year, including calanoid and cyclopoid copepods, ostracods, bivalve larvae and cladocerans, among others. Although this result is somewhat surprising, it is possible that increased microbial activity related to the infusion of oil carbon may have stimulated secondary production through microbial-zooplankton trophic linkages. Overall, results suggest that, although changes in zooplankton community composition were observed during the oilspill, variations were weak and recovery was rapid.

A Bayesian risk analysis model, comprising of a release assessment module and an exposure assessment module for the oil transportation system in the Gulf of Mexico is described in this paper. The model is used to compute probability distributions for oilspill quantities for 160 grid cells in the Gulf of Mexico, and the volumes of that oil to reach 58 coastline segments over a user-specified planning period. In addition to historical oilspill data, the model can accept subjective information on management alternatives involving changes in the oil transportation system. For example, volumes, tugboat escorts, mechanical equipment and hull design can be altered, and user confidence can be entered concerning how changes will effect spill number and size. The release assessment module uses a predictive Bayesian negative binomial distribution for spill number, and a predictive Bayesian distribution based on the Pareto I distribution for spill size. Conditional transport probabilities developed by the Minerals Management Service and the results of the release assessment module were used in the exposure assessment module. Oilspill data maintained by the US Coast Guard for the years 1991-1995 were analyzed along with two basic oil transportation management scenarios.

Dispersants are globally and routinely applied as an emergency response to oilspills in marine ecosystems with the goal of chemically enhancing the dissolution of oil into water, which is assumed to stimulate microbially mediated oil biodegradation. However, little is known about how dispersants affect the composition of microbial communities or their biodegradation activities. The published findings are controversial, probably owing to variations in laboratory methods, the selected model organisms and the chemistry of different dispersant-oil mixtures. Here, we argue that an in-depth assessment of the impacts of dispersants on microorganisms is needed to evaluate the planning and use of dispersants during future responses to oilspills. PMID:25944491

The coastal wetland vegetation component of the Deepwater Horizon oilspill Natural Resource Damage Assessment documented significant injury to the plant production and health of Louisiana salt marshes exposed to oiling. Specifically, marsh sites experiencing trace or greater vertical oiling of plant tissues displayed reductions in cover and peak standing crop relative to reference (no oiling), particularly in the marsh edge zone, for the majority of this four year study. Similarly, elevated chlorosis of plant tissue, as estimated by a vegetation health index, was detected for marsh sites with trace or greater vertical oiling in the first two years of the study. Key environmental factors, such as hydrologic regime, elevation, and soil characteristics, were generally similar across plant oiling classes (including reference), indicating that the observed injury to plant production and health was the result of plant oiling and not potential differences in environmental setting. Although fewer significant impacts to plant production and health were detected in the latter years of the study, this is due in part to decreased sample size occurring as a result of erosion (shoreline retreat) and resultant loss of plots, and should not be misconstrued as indicating full recovery of the ecosystem. PMID:27299994

An oilspill into the River Lambro occurred on 23 February 2010 and reached the Po River the following day. Breams captured here on 1 March 2010, along with a sample from a control site, were examined by light and electron microscopy. The main affected organs were skin and gill with slight or no damage to liver, kidney, and intestine. The gills exhibited lamellar aneurisms, fusion of secondary lamellae, edema with epithelial lifting, mucous cell hypertrophy, and mucus hypersecretion. Significantly higher mucous cell density was observed in the skin of exposed fish. Histochemical staining revealed that acid glycoconjugates were prevalent in epidermal mucous cells in the exposed Abramis brama, whereas neutral and mixed glycoconjugates were dominant in the control fish. Rodlet cells were significantly more abundant in the kidney of exposed fish and showed ultrastructural differences compared to controls. These histopathologic effects were indicators of chemical stress due to exposure to oil. The present study is one of the first which explores the acute effects of this incident and makes part of a few reports focused on freshwater oilspill. PMID:22030380

This study investigated the effects of the Exxon Valdez oilspill o the use of oil-affected habitats by birds during 1989--1991. The authors measured densities of birds in bays that had been subjected to various levels of oiling from the spill during survey cruises that were conducted throughout the year in Prince William Sound (PWS) and during summer along the Kenai Peninsula. Overall, 23 of 42 (55%) species in PWS and 22 of 34 (65%) species on the Kenai showed no evidence of oiling impacts on their use of habitats. Most species that did not show initial negative impacts had recovered by late summer 1991 when the study concluded, although 6 of the 19 species initially impacted in PWS and 6 of the 12 species initially impacted along the Kenai did not exhibit clear signs of recovery by this time. A Principal Components Analysis of species examined from PWS revealed extensive overlap in ecological attributes among species that were and were not negatively impacted in their use of oil-affected habitats. Species that did not show clear evidence of recovery tended to be intertidal feeders and residents of PWS, but other ecologically similar species evidenced either no initial impacts or rapid recovery. These similarities suggest that the prognosis is good for the species for which they were unable to document recovery in habitat use. These findings, together with the rapid rates of recovery in habitat features reported in other studies, suggest that impacts of the Exxon Valdez oilspill on avian use of oil-affected habitats generally were not persistent. 48 refs., 10 figs., 6 tabs.

... CFR 553 (78 FR 25472). The BOEM uses the information collected under these regulations to verify... applicants can pay for cleanup and damages resulting from oilspills and other hydrocarbon discharges...

The relative environmental toxicities of synthetic and biogenic surfactants used in oilspill remediation efforts are not well understood. Acute and chronic toxicities of three synthetic surfactants and three microbially produced surfactants were determined and compared in this s...

An analytical multiphase plume model, combined with time-varying flow and hydrographic fields generated by the 3-D South Atlantic Bight and Gulf of Mexico model (SABGOM) hydrodynamic model, were used as input to a Lagrangian transport model (LTRANS), to simulate transport of oil droplets dispersed at depth from the recent Deepwater Horizon MC 252 oilspill. The plume model predicts a stratification-dominated near field, in which small oil droplets detrain from the central plume containing faster rising large oil droplets and gas bubbles and become trapped by density stratification. Simulated intrusion (trap) heights of ∼ 310–370 m agree well with the midrange of conductivity-temperature-depth observations, though the simulated variation in trap height was lower than observed, presumably in part due to unresolved variability in source composition (percentage oil versus gas) and location (multiple leaks during first half of spill). Simulated droplet trajectories by the SABGOM-LTRANS modeling system showed that droplets with diameters between 10 and 50 μm formed a distinct subsurface plume, which was transported horizontally and remained in the subsurface for >1 month. In contrast, droplets with diameters ≥90 μm rose rapidly to the surface. Simulated trajectories of droplets ≤50 μm in diameter were found to be consistent with field observations of a southwest-tending subsurface plume in late June 2010 reported by Camilli et al. [2010]. Model results suggest that the subsurface plume looped around to the east, with potential subsurface oil transport to the northeast and southeast. Ongoing work is focusing on adding degradation processes to the model to constrain droplet dispersal.

Oilspills from deep ocean blowout events motivate our study of multiphase plumes in a water column. Key to understanding the long-term fate of these plumes is the ability to predict the depth and persistence of intrusion layers. While intrusion layers from multiphase plumes have been studied under stagnant conditions, their behavior in the presence of crossflow, especially in mild crossflow, remains poorly understood. The classical classification of plume behavior identifies two regimes: crossflow-dominant and stratification-dominant--but it does not account for the interplay between the two effects, leaving the transition region unexplored. We conduct laboratory tank experiments to investigate the behavior of intrusion layers under the simultaneous action of crossflow and stratification. Our experiments use an inverted frame of reference, using glass beads with a range of sizes to simulate oil droplets. We find that crossflow creates enhanced mixing, which in turn leads to a shallower intrusion layer of the released fluid (correspondingly, a deeper layer in the case of a deep ocean blowout). We develop a mathematical formulation that extends previous models to account for crossflow effects, and use field observations to validate the analytical and experimental findings.

The sinking of the Deepwater Horizon on April 22nd, 2010 led to one of the largest oilspills in history. The massive amounts of oil and natural gas leaking into the Gulf of Mexico led to development of distinct microbial communities dominated by hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria. To track this microbial response, we sampled hydrocarbon-laden surface water and deep plumes (1100-1200 m), as well as samples lacking hydrocarbon exposure. In samples collected in May /June 2010, deepwater plume 16S rRNA clone libraries were dominated by three groups of Gammaproteobacteria: unclassified members of the order Oceanospirillales, close relatives of the genus Colwellia, and relatives of the genus Cycloclasticus. These groups accounted for 90-100% of sequences in nine clone libraries and 50% of sequences in a tenth; this tenth sample was ~1 km from the wellhead and showed no detectable oxygen drawdown. In samples collected from above or below the plume, these three groups accounted for no more than 25% of clones. Surface samples were dominated by organisms most closely related to the genus Pseudoalteromonas. Ongoing cultivation and stable isotope probing experiments to identify and characterize the bacteria consuming specific hydrocarbon compounds will further our understanding of the microbial ecology of surface and deepwater hydrocarbon degrading microorganisms.

The source of 25 to 30 percent of America's seafood, the Mississippi River Delta's cornucopian world is now uncertain. And yet, even if shrimp, oysters, and finfish are unaffected by the BP OilSpill - a big if - one can already reflect on the passing of the culture once built upon gathering them. For almost three centuries, levees made life possible along the riverbanks and in the wetlands beyond. Those same levees also ensured the wetlands would eventually melt away into the Gulf. Cutting off the silt left behind during annual river inundations subjected the fragile land to erosion. Sulfur, natural gas, and oil production companies dug twenty thousand miles of canals to gain more direct routes to their fields and to pump out their mineral wealth. This caused salt-water intrusion that killed off plant life and caused more erosion. The world that sustained my Plaquemines ancestors was less subject to collapse following disasters not only because the ecosystem before the wetlands' ongoing loss was then more vibrant, complex, and robust; but also because their lives, especially their culinary lives, were more vibrant, complex, and robust. Life was hard, but when it came to putting food on the table, life followed the seasons. PMID:21591308

Among the different types of marine pollution, oilspill is a major threat to the sea ecosystems. Remote sensing is used in oilspill response. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is an active microwave sensor that operates under all weather conditions and provides information about the surface roughness and covers large areas at a high spatial resolution. SAR is widely used to identify and track pollutants in the sea, which may be due to a secondary effect of a large natural disaster or by a man-made one . The detection of oilspill in SAR imagery relies on the decrease of the backscattering from the sea surface, due to the increased viscosity, resulting in a dark formation that contrasts with the brightness of the surrounding area. Most of the use of SAR images for oilspill detection is done by visual interpretation. Trained interpreters scan the image, and mark areas of low backscatter and where shape is a-symmetrical. It is very difficult to apply this method for a wide area. In contrast to visual interpretation, automatic detection algorithms were suggested and are mainly based on scanning dark formations, extracting features, and applying big data analysis. We propose a new algorithm that applies a nonlinear spatial filter that detects dark formations and is not susceptible to noises, such as internal or speckle. The advantages of this algorithm are both in run time and the results retrieved. The algorithm was tested in genesimulations as well as on COSMO-SkyMed images, detecting the Deep Horizon oilspill in the Gulf of Mexico (occurred on 20/4/2010). The simulation results show that even in a noisy environment, oilspill is detected. Applying the algorithm to the Deep Horizon oilspill, the algorithm classified the oilspill better than focusing on dark formation algorithm. Furthermore, the results were validated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data.

Oilspills can cause enormous ecological and economic devastation, necessitating application of the best science and technology available, for which remote sensing plays a critical role in detection and monitoring of oilspills. The FOSTERRS interagency working group seeks to ensure that during an oilspill, remote sensing assets (satellite/aircraft) and analysis techniques are quickly, effectively and seamlessly available to oilspills responders. FOSTERRS enables cooperation between agencies with core environmental remote sensing assets and capabilities and academic and industry experts to act as an oilspill remote sensing information clearinghouse. The US government and its collaborators have a broad variety of aircraft and satellite sensors, imagery interrogation techniques and other technology that can provide indispensable remote sensing information to agencies, emergency responders and the public during an oilspill. Specifically, FOSTERRS will work to ensure that (1) suitable aircraft and satellite imagery and radar observations are quickly made available in a manner that can be integrated into oilspill detection and mitigation efforts, (2) existing imagery interrogation techniques are in the hands of those who will provide the 24 x 7 operational support and (3) efforts are made to develop new technology where the existing techniques do not provide oilspills responders with important information they need. The FOSTERRS mission goal places it in an ideal place for identification of critical technological needs, and identifying bottlenecks in technology acceptance. The core FOSTERRS team incorporates representation for operations and science for agencies with relevant instrumental and platform assets (NASA, NOAA, USGS, NRL). FOSTERRS membership will open to a wide range of end-user agencies and planned observer status from industry and academic experts, and eventually international partners. Through these collaborations, FOSTERRS facilitates interagency

Assessing the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oilspill with a dependable baseline comparison can provide reliable insight into environmental stressors on organisms that were potentially affected by the spill. Fluctuating asymmetry (small, non-random deviations from perfect bilateral symmetry) is an informative metric sensitive to contaminants that can be used to assess environmental stress levels. For this study, the well-studied and common Gulf of Mexico estuarine fish, Menidia beryllina, was used with pre and post-oilspill collections. Comparisons of fluctuating asymmetry in three traits (eye diameter, pectoral fin length, and pelvic fin length) were made pre and post-oilspill across two sites (Old Fort Bayou and the Pascagoula River), as well as between years of collection (2011, 2012)-one and two years, respectfully, after the spill in 2010. We hypothesized that fluctuating asymmetry would be higher in post-Deepwater Horizon samples, and that this will be replicated in both study areas along the Mississippi Gulf coast. We also predicted that fluctuating asymmetry would decrease through time after the oilspill as the oil decomposed and/or was removed. Analyses performed on 1135 fish (220 pre and 915 post Deepwater Horizon) showed significantly higher post spill fluctuating asymmetry in the eye but no difference for the pectoral or pelvic fins. There was also higher fluctuating asymmetry in one of the two sites both pre and post-spill, indicating observed asymmetry may be the product of multiple stressors. Fluctuating asymmetry decreased in 2012 compared to 2011. Fluctuating asymmetry is a sensitive measure of sub lethal stress, and the observed variability in this study (pre vs. post-spill or between sites) could be due to a combination of oil, dispersants, or other unknown stressors. PMID:25714356

Assessing the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oilspill with a dependable baseline comparison can provide reliable insight into environmental stressors on organisms that were potentially affected by the spill. Fluctuating asymmetry (small, non-random deviations from perfect bilateral symmetry) is an informative metric sensitive to contaminants that can be used to assess environmental stress levels. For this study, the well-studied and common Gulf of Mexico estuarine fish, Menidia beryllina, was used with pre and post-oilspill collections. Comparisons of fluctuating asymmetry in three traits (eye diameter, pectoral fin length, and pelvic fin length) were made pre and post-oilspill across two sites (Old Fort Bayou and the Pascagoula River), as well as between years of collection (2011, 2012)--one and two years, respectfully, after the spill in 2010. We hypothesized that fluctuating asymmetry would be higher in post-Deepwater Horizon samples, and that this will be replicated in both study areas along the Mississippi Gulf coast. We also predicted that fluctuating asymmetry would decrease through time after the oilspill as the oil decomposed and/or was removed. Analyses performed on 1135 fish (220 pre and 915 post Deepwater Horizon) showed significantly higher post spill fluctuating asymmetry in the eye but no difference for the pectoral or pelvic fins. There was also higher fluctuating asymmetry in one of the two sites both pre and post-spill, indicating observed asymmetry may be the product of multiple stressors. Fluctuating asymmetry decreased in 2012 compared to 2011. Fluctuating asymmetry is a sensitive measure of sub lethal stress, and the observed variability in this study (pre vs. post-spill or between sites) could be due to a combination of oil, dispersants, or other unknown stressors. PMID:25714356

On November 13th 2002, the tank ship Prestige-Nassau sent a SOS signal. The hull of the ship was damaged producing an oilspill in front of the Galician coast (NW Spain). The damaged ship took north direction spilling more fuel and affecting the western Galician coast. After this, it changed its track to south. At this first stage of the accident, the ship spilt around 10000 Tm in 19th at the Galician Bank, at 133 NM of Galician coast. From the very beginning, a monitoring and forecasting of the first slick was developed. Afterwards, since southwesternly winds are frequent in wintertime, the slick from the initial spill started to move towards the Galician coast. This drift movement was followed by overflights. With the aim of forecasting the place and arriving date to the coast, some simulations with two different models were developed. The first one was a very simple drift model forced with the surface winds generated by ARPS operational model (1) at MeteoGalicia (regional weather forecast service). The second one was a more complex hydrodynamic model, MOHID2000 (2,3), developed by MARETEC GROUP (Instituto Superior Técnico de Lisboa) in collaboration with GFNL (Grupo de Física Non Lineal, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela). On November 28th, some tarballs appeared at south of main slick. This observations could be explained taking into account the below surface water movement following Ekman dynamic. Some new simulations with the aim of understanding better the physic underlying these observations were performed. Agreed between observations and simulations was achieved. We performed simulations with and without slope current previously calculated by other authors, showing that this current can only introduce subtle differences in the slick's arriving point to the coast and introducing wind as the primary forcing. (1) A two-dimensional particle tracking model for pollution dispersion in A Coruña and Vigo Rias (NW Spain). M. Gómez-Gesteira, P. Montero, R

A crude oil and the coastal sediments that were affected by the Hebei Spirit OilSpill (HSOS) of Taean, Korea were investigated for thyroid hormone disruption potentials. Water-accommodated fractions (WAFs) of Iranian Heavy crude oil, the major oil type of HSOS, and the porewater or leachate of sediment samples collected along the coast line of Taean were tested for thyroid disruption using developing zebrafish and/or rat pituitary GH3 cells. Major polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their alkylated forms were also measured from the test samples. In zebrafish larvae, significant decreases in whole-body thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) levels, along with transcriptional changes of thyroid regulating genes, were observed following 5 day exposure to WAFs. In GH3 cells, transcriptions of thyroid regulating genes were influenced following the exposure to the sediment samples, but the pattern of the regulatory change was different from those observed from the WAFs. Composition of PAHs and their alkylated homologues in the WAFs could partly explain this difference. Our results clearly demonstrate that WAFs of crude oil can disrupt thyroid function of larval zebrafish. Sediment samples also showed thyroid disrupting potentials in the GH3 cell, even several years after the oilspill. Long-term ecosystem consequences of thyroid hormone disruption due to oilspill deserve further investigation. PMID:27144452

Oil spillage connected with federally supervised drilling and production activities has been a matter of wide public concern. In its supervision of mineral-resource development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), the U.S. Geological Survey is responsible for the day-to-day inspection and monitoring of OCS oil and gas operations. During these activities, the U.S. Geological Survey records and investigates hydrocarbon discharges resulting from such operations. Beginning in 1971, all spills have been recorded, and a computer file has been maintained on all spills of 1 barrel or more. The total Gulf of Mexico OCS oil spillage recorded during January 1, 1971-December 31, 1975, amounted to 51,421 barrels. Production during that period amounted to 35,219 barrels per barrel spilled. In all, 5,857 spills were recorded, but 85.5 percent of the total spill volume was contributed by just 5 incidents. The environmental effect of these incidents apparently was minimal and of short duration. No spills of more than 50 barrels resulted from drilling operations during the period. The only spillage resulting from blowouts was caused by nondrilling incidents, including completion, production, and workover. The amount of oil discharged from spills of less than 50 barrels decreased by more than half between 1971 and 1975. The improvement reflects changes in the operating philosophy of the offshore industry, tightening of U.S. Geological Survey operating orders, and substantial increases in the inspection force. Most production-platform spills involve failures in the sump system, the separator system, or other hydrocarbon-handling equipment; improved sump-system designs and better high-low-level controls have reduced both the number and the volume of spills. Pipeline and pump spills also declined significantly, although the decline appears less attributable to revisions in OCS operating requirements. No operator consistently contributed a disproportionate amount of spillage. Most of

The effects of two large experimental oilspills conducted in the winter and summer of 1976 in the permafrost-underlain black spruce forest of interior Alaska were assessed 15 years after the spills. Effects on the permafrost, as determined from measurements of active layer thaw depths and of the total amount of ground subsidence, were far more pronounced on the winter spill because it had a larger area with oil on the surface. The winter spill also had a more drastic effect on the vegetation. Where the black, asphalt-like oil is present on the surface, black spruce mortality is 100% and there is very little live vegetation cover, except for cottongrass tussocks. Changes in oil chemistry vary with depth; surface samples show signs of microbiological degradation, whereas some subsurface samples taken just above the permafrost show no evidence of degradation and still contain volatiles. Black spruce forest, Crude oil, Oilspills, Terrestrial oilspills, Interior Alaska, Permafrost.

Protocols were developed and evaluated to assess the efficacy and environmental safety of commercial oilspill bioremediation agents (CBAs). Test systems that simulate oil slicks on open water or oiled sandy beaches were used to test the effectiveness of CBAs. Gravimetric and gas...

The physical redistribution of oil between the inside and outside of experimental plots can affect the results of bioremediation field studies that are conducted on shorelines contaminated by real oilspills. Because untreated oil from the surrounding beach will enter the plot, ...

The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon (MC-252) drilling platform on 20 April 2010 began a long response by the United Area Command. Previous responses to oilspills were limited in time due to the amount of oilspilled and were generally confined to the surface. Some of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon wellhead in 1500 meters of water broke into smaller droplets, whose density caused much of the oil to stay within a zone from 1000 to 1300 meters depth. The remainder of the oil rose to the surface. The two primary locations of oil required a broad collection of remote sensing techniques to locate and monitor the oilspill. Surface oil was monitored primarily from the air using aircraft and satellite assets. Satellite visible, infra-red, and radar satellite imagery helped to locate oil in the northern Gulf of Mexico and help predict its movement away from the spill site. Daily over-flights by aircraft provided higher spatial and temporal resolution data that were assimilated into daily products. These remote sensing assets were able to track the surface oil, but the subsurface oil required different techniques. In addition to salinity and temperature profiles to determine the subsurface structure, fluorometry and dissolved oxygen measurements provided information related to oil and its consumption by microorganisms. Water samples collected from CTD casts were analyzed on-board and returned to on-shore laboratories.

On June 4 and 17, 2011, two separate oilspill accidents occurred at platforms B and C of the Penglai 19-3 oilfield located in the Bohai Sea, China. Based on the initial oilspill locations detected from the first available Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image acquired on June 11, 2011, we performed a numerical experiment to simulate the potential oilspill beaching area with the General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME) model. The model was driven by ocean surface currents from an operational ocean model (Navy Coastal Ocean Model) and surface winds from operational scatterometer measurements (the Advanced Scatterometer). Under the forcing of wind and ocean currents, some of the oilspills reached land along the coast of Qinhuangdao within 12 days. The results also demonstrate that the ocean currents are likely to carry the remaining oilspills along the Bohai coast towards the northeast. The predicted oilspill beaching area was verified by reported in-situ measurements and former studies based on MODIS observations.

The environmental health professions faced many challenges in 1989, among them the protection of public health in the wake of both natural and man-made disasters. Following hurricanes in the Caribbean and southeast United States, the earthquake in northern California and the Exxon oilspill in Alaska, environmental health officials and consultants were confronted with extraordinary problems concerning housing, drinking water, hazardous materials spills, solid waste management, waste water management and sanitation. This article discusses the environmental health response to one of these events - the Exxon Valdez oilspill.

Uncertainty is highlighted in the case of the oilspill. Hurricane is considered a known factor that people are used to and know how to handle. This uncertainty is primarily attributed to the magnitude of the spill. As the largest spill in the U.S., the long-term effects of the spill are difficult to assess. Uncertainty, however, has more to do with the novelty of the disaster and the accompanying regulatory change than the specific characteristics of this spill such as the size and longevity of the spill. The unfamiliarity with the Oil Pollution Act results in a lack of knowledge and uncertainty about local and state responses to the spill. The unpreparedness and unfamiliarity of this spill accompanied by different regulations underlie people's sense of uncertainty. This paper examines coastal Louisiana's shift from frequent hurricanes to the BP Deepwater Horizon oilspill in 2010, particularly focusing on the effects of changed regulations from the Stafford Act to the Oil Pollution Act. It documents how the federal, state, and local governments adjust, and discusses the shifting emphasis to the environment with the activation of the Oil Pollution Act and the Clean Water Act. One assumption is that people's established ways of behavior are commonly shaped by their previous experience of disasters, but this can paradoxically hinder their timely adaptation to new or different, high- impact environmental change. This leads to testing the hypothesis whether greater vulnerabilities result from adaptations to previous and well-known disasters. Results: The structural differences in regulations dictate the way governments and communities respond and adapt to the oilspill. The new set of regulations during the BP Deepwater Horizon oilspill unlike the ones during hurricanes served as barriers to adaptation. Governments at federal, state, and local levels had difficulties adjusting to new rules and changed authorities, and they, in turn, generated uncertainty and

Oilspill accidents occasionally occur in coastal and ocean environments, and cause critical environmental damage, spoiling the marine habitats and ecosystems. To mitigate the damages, the species and amount of spilledoil should be monitored. In this study, we developed a waterborne oilspill sensor using a printed ITO layer. ITO is a compatible material for salty environments such as oceans because ITO is strong against corrosion. The fabricated sensor was tested using three oils, gasoline, lubricant and diesel, and different oil thicknesses of 0, 5, 10, and 15mm. The results showed that the resistance of the sensor clearly increased with the oil thickness and its electrical resistance. For sustainable sensing applications in marine environments, XRD patterns confirmed that the crystal structure of the ITO sensor did not change and FE-SEM images showed that the surface was clearly maintained after tests. PMID:26162511

The semi enclosed Caribbean Sea is ranked as having one of the most intense maritime traffic in the world. These maritime activities have led to significant oil pollution. Simultaneously, this sea supports many critical habitats functioning as a Large Marine Ecosystem (LME). While the impacts of oil pollution are recognised, a number of management challenges remain. This study applies spatial modelling to identify critical areas potentially at risk from oilspills in the form of a potential oilspill risk (POSR) model. The model indicates that approximately 83% of the sea could be potentially impacted by oilspills due to shipping. The results from this study collectively support a management framework for minimising ship generated oil pollution in the Caribbean Sea. Among the recommended components are a common policy, surveillance and monitoring controls, standards, monitoring programmes, data collection and greater rates of convention ratifications. PMID:25752533

Following the Exxon Valdez oilspill of March 24, 1989, in Prince William Sound, Alaska, Exxon conducted comprehensive, systematic shoreline surveys in cooperation with federal and state authorities to obtain information on the distribution and magnitude of shoreline oiling and to identify natural and cultural resources requiring special protection. Similar joint surveys were performed during the springs of 1990, 1991, and 1992 on all Prince william Sound and Gulf of Alaska shorelines that were suspected of having remnants of weathered oil and that would benefit from further cleanup. In the springs of 1990, 1991, and 1992, isolated pockets of subsurface oil were found, chiefly in small scattered zones in coarse cobble/boulder sediments in the upper intertidal or supratidal zones. In 1991, about one-third of the subdivisions in Prince William Sound with surface oil also contained some subsurface oil. The areal extent of this subsurface oil declined by nearly 70% between 1991 and 1992, from about 37,000 m{sup 2} to about 12,000 m{sup 2}. Moreover, where subsurface oil remained in 1992, it was present in lesser amounts. Rates of oil removal were greatest on coastal sections treated early in the spring and summer of 1989. Where shoreline treatment was delayed, the subsequent rate of removal of oil from the shore by natural processes was slower. 27 refs., 10 figs., 3 tabs.

The goal of this research was to study wetting and adhesion processes between various petroleum products and solid surfaces. When a liquid interacts with a solid surface, wetting, spreading and adhesion processes determine its behavior. These processes are of great importance for understanding oilspill response as well as oilspill behavior on land and in near shore environments, and oil extraction from the reservoir rock. The current study aimed at analyzing oil affinity and adhesion to surfaces used in the mechanical recovery of oilspills. A number of crude oils and petroleum products were tested with the surface materials that are used or may potentially be used to recover oilspills. Through the study of contact angles and recovered mass, it was found that the behavior of the oils at the solid surface is largely determined by the roughness of the solid. For smooth solids, contact angle hysteresis is a good indicator of the ability of the solid to retain oil. For rougher elastomers, the advancing contact angle can be used to predict wetting and adhesion processes between oil and solid. This study showed that oleophilic elastomers (e.g., Neoprene and Hypalon) have higher oil recovery potential than smooth polymers. PMID:17064718

The U.S. Geological Survey began a research project at the site of a crude oilspill near Bemidji, Minnesota in 1983. The project is part of the U.S. Geological Survey's Toxic Substances Hydrology Program. The objectives of research at this site are to obtain an understanding of the mobilization, transport, and fate of petroleum derivatives in the shallow subsurface and to use this understanding to develop predictive models of contaminant behavior. This report presents location and altitude data for selected features at the research site, water and oil level records from observation wells collected from 1983 through 1991, geologic logs from 45 observation wells and test holes, particle-size distribution data from 45 observation wells and test holes, and precipitation records from 1948 through 1991.

River otters (Lutra canadensis) were killed by direct effects of the Exxon Valdez oilspill, but the magnitude of that loss is unknown due to lack of pre-spill data. A time lag in spill effects is reflected by the reduction in species richness and diversity in the summer diets of otters in oiled areas between 1989 and 1990. Otters from oiled areas had higher haptoglobin levels in both 1990 and 1991. Male otters captured in oiled areas in 1990 had significantly lower body mass than otters from nonoiled areas. Otters from oiled areas had home ranges that were twice as large as those from a non-spill area. Differences in rates of fecal deposition between oiled and nonoiled latrine sites in 1989 suggest otters used heavily oiled areas less often. Otters avoided shorelines with shallow slopes on the oiled area, whereas they strongly preferred these slopes on nonoiled sites, suggesting that otters lost habitat as a result of the spill.

An innovative forecasting system of the coastal marine circulation has been implemented in the Bonifacio Strait area, between Corsica and Sardinia, using a numerical approach to facilitate the rapid planning and coordination of remedial actions for oilspill emergencies at sea by local authorities. Downscaling and nesting techniques from regional to coastal scale and a 3-D hydrodynamic numerical model, coupled with a wind wave model, are the core of the integrated Bonifacio Strait system. Such a system is capable of predicting operationally the dispersion of hydrocarbon spills in the area, both in forward and backward mode, through an easy-to-use graphical user interface. A set of applications are described and discussed including both operational applications aimed at providing rapid responses to local oilspill emergences and managing applications aimed at mitigating the risk of oilspill impacts on the coast.

As the nation’s leading scientific resource for oilspills, NOAA has been on the scene of the Deepwater Horizon/BP oilspill from the start, providing coordinated scientific weather and biological response services to federal, state and local organizations. NOAA has mobilized experts from across the agency to help contain the spreading oilspill and protect the Gulf of Mexico’s many marine mammals, sea turtles, fish, shellfish and other endangered marine life. NOAA spill specialists advised the U.S. Coast Guard on cleanup options as well as advising all affected federal, state and local partners on sensitive marine resources at risk in this area of the Gulf of Mexico. As a major partner in the federal response to this incident, NOAA provided the necessary coastal and marine expertise required for sound, timely decision-making and helped protect the affected Gulf Coast communities and coastal marine environment and will continue to do so for ongoing restoration efforts.

In response to the Deepwater Horizon oilspill in the Gulf of Mexico, a method of near-infrared imaging spectroscopic analysis was developed to map the locations of thick oil floating on water. Specifically, this method can be used to derive, in each image pixel, the oil-to-water ratio in oil emulsions, the sub-pixel areal fraction, and its thicknesses and volume within the limits of light penetration into the oil (up to a few millimeters). The method uses the shape of near-infrared (NIR) absorption features and the variations in the spectral continuum due to organic compounds found in oil to identify different oil chemistries, including its weathering state and thickness. The method is insensitive to complicating conditions such as moderate aerosol scattering and reflectance level changes from other conditions, including moderate sun glint. Data for this analysis were collected by the NASA Airborne Visual Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) instrument, which was flown over the oilspill on May 17, 2010. Because of the large extent of the spill, AVIRIS flight lines could cover only a portion of the spill on this relatively calm, nearly cloud-free day. Derived lower limits for oil volumes within the top few millimeters of the ocean surface directly probed with the near-infrared light detected in the AVIRIS scenes were 19,000 (conservative assumptions) to 34,000 (aggressive assumptions) barrels of oil. AVIRIS covered about 30 percent of the core spill area, which consisted of emulsion plumes and oil sheens. Areas of oil sheen but lacking oil emulsion plumes outside of the core spill were not evaluated for oil volume in this study. If the core spill areas not covered by flight lines contained similar amounts of oil and oil-water emulsions, then extrapolation to the entire core spill area defined by a MODIS (Terra) image collected on the same day indicates a minimum of 66,000 to 120,000 barrels of oil was floating on the surface. These estimates are preliminary and

A localised oilspill was observed on the wetland marshes bordering a tidal creek near Cairns, Queensland in January 1994. Pollution and conservation issues are of paramount public concern in this region which boarders World Heritage Areas of coral reefs and coastal habitats. Local residents observed oil being dumped from a truck which was contracted to of oil the surface of the roads in the contiguous sugar cane farm for dust control. During this incident several truckloads of mixed waste oil were dumped onto a short section of road and into the wetlands. The oil contaminated a band of marsh 15-30 m wide along approximately 200 m of road. Impacted marsh included Melaleuca forest on the high side of the road and intertidal mangroves on the seaward side. The Queensland Department of Environment (QDE) initiated an impact assessment and directed the trucking company to clean up impacted areas. The extent of damage to wetlands from oilspills is related to the amount and type of oilspilled and the sensitivity of the habitats oiled. QDE asked the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences to assist with their study on the fate of the oil in this localised spill. The initial levels of petroleum hydrocarbons in surface sediments reached 17% of the dry weight in heavily impacted areas. Thus levels were similar to those reached after the catastrophic oilspill in Panama. Clean up efforts and natural dissipation processes reduced sediment hydrocarbon loads to nonacutely toxic levels in only 1.5 years in the intertidal mangroves. High levels remain in the Melaleuca sediments. We used internal molecular markers to detail hydrocarbon dissipation vs degradation. This study provides a contrast between impacts of localised versus catastrophic oilspills in deep mud coastal habitats.

Oilspills on the sea surface are seen relatively often with the development of the petroleum exploitation and transportation of the sea. Oilspills are great threat to the marine environment and the ecosystem, thus the oil pollution in the ocean becomes an urgent topic in the environmental protection. To develop the oilspill accident treatment program and track the source of the spilledoils, a novel qualitative identification method combined Kernel Principal Component Analysis (KPCA) and Least Square Support Vector Machine (LSSVM) was proposed. The proposed method adapt Fourier transform NIR spectrophotometer to collect the NIR spectral data of simulated gasoline, diesel fuel and kerosene oilspills samples and do some pretreatments to the original spectrum. We use the KPCA algorithm which is an extension of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) using techniques of kernel methods to extract nonlinear features of the preprocessed spectrum. Support Vector Machines (SVM) is a powerful methodology for solving spectral classification tasks in chemometrics. LSSVM are reformulations to the standard SVMs which lead to solving a system of linear equations. So a LSSVM multiclass classification model was designed which using Error Correcting Output Code (ECOC) method borrowing the idea of error correcting codes used for correcting bit errors in transmission channels. The most common and reliable approach to parameter selection is to decide on parameter ranges, and to then do a grid search over the parameter space to find the optimal model parameters. To test the proposed method, 375 spilledoil samples of unknown type were selected to study. The optimal model has the best identification capabilities with the accuracy of 97.8%. Experimental results show that the proposed KPCA plus LSSVM qualitative analysis method of near infrared spectroscopy has good recognition result, which could work as a new method for rapid identification of spilledoils.

We report the first application of a new mass spectrometry technique (gas chromatography combined to atmospheric pressure chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry, GC/APCI-MS/MS) for fingerprinting a crude oil and environmental samples from the largest accidental marine oilspill in history (the Macondo oilspill, the Gulf of Mexico, 2010). The fingerprinting of the oilspill is based on a trace analysis of petroleum biomarkers (steranes, diasteranes, and pentacyclic triterpanes) naturally occurring in crude oil. GC/APCI enables soft ionization of petroleum compounds that form abundant molecular ions without (or little) fragmentation. The ability to operate the instrument simultaneously in several tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) modes (e.g., full scan, product ion scan, reaction monitoring) significantly improves structural information content and sensitivity of analysis. For fingerprinting the oilspill, we constructed diagrams and conducted correlation studies that measure the similarity between environmental samples and enable us to differentiate the Macondo oilspill from other sources. PMID:27281271

Oilspills may involve health risks for people participating in the cleanup operations and coastal inhabitants, given the toxicological properties of the oil components. In spite of this, only after a few major oilspills (crude oil or fuel oil no. 6) have studies on effects of exposure to diverse aspects of human health been performed. Previously, Aguilera et al. (2010) examined all documents published to that date dealing with any type of human health outcome in populations exposed to oilspills. The aim of the present review was to compile all new information available and determine whether evidence reported supports the existence of an association between exposure and adverse human health risks. Studies were classified in three groups according to type of health outcome addressed: (i) effects on mental health, (ii) physical/physiological effects, and (iii) genotoxic, immunotoxic, and endocrine toxicity. New studies published on oil-spill-exposed populations-coastal residents in the vicinity of the spills or participants in cleanup operations-provide additional support to previous evidence on adverse health effects related to exposure regarding different parameters in all three categories considered. Some of the observed effects even indicated that several symptoms may persist for some years after exposure. Hence, (1) health protection in these individuals should be a matter of concern; and (2) health risk assessment needs to be carried out not only at the time of exposure but also for prolong periods following exposure, to enable early detection of any potential exposure-related harmful effects. PMID:27221976

Oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oilspill has persisted along shorelines of Prince William Sound, Alaska, for more than two decades as both surface and subsurface oil residues. To better understand the distribution of persistent subsurface oil and assess the potential need for further restoration, a thorough and quantitative understanding of the geomorphic factors controlling the presence or absence of subsurface oil is required. Data on oiling and geomorphic features were collected at 198 sites in Prince William Sound to identify and quantify the relationships among these geomorphic factors and the presence and absence of persistent subsurface oil. Geomorphic factors associated with the presence of subsurface oil were initial oil exposure, substrate permeability, topographic slope, low exposure to waves, armoring on gravel beaches, tombolos, natural breakwaters, and rubble accumulations. Geomorphic factors associated with the absence of subsurface oil were impermeable bedrock; platforms with thin sediment veneer; fine-grained, well-sorted gravel beaches with no armor; and low-permeability, raised bay-bottom beaches. Relationships were found between the geomorphic and physical site characteristics and the likelihood of encountering persistent subsurface oiling at those sites. There is quantitative evidence of more complex interactions between the overall wave energy incident at a site and the presence of fine-scale geomorphic features that may have provided smaller, local wave energy sheltering of oil. Similarly, these data provide evidence for interactions between the shoreline slope and the presence of angular rubble, with decreased likelihood for encountering subsurface oil at steeply sloped sites except at high-angle sheltered rubble shoreline locations. These results reinforce the idea that the interactions of beach permeability, stability, and site-specific wave exposure are key drivers for subsurface oil persistence in exposed and intermittently exposed mixed

The outer continental shelf report describes and assesses the potential effects of oilspills and other contaminants on marine mammals that occur in Alaskan waters, assuming that a spill or contamination occurs. The report focuses primarily on the potential direct and indirect effects of oilspills on marine mammals and addresses both short-term effects that may occur at the time of contact with oil, and long-term effects that may occur long after contact with oil. The report also briefly reviews the literature on the potential effects of other contaminants such as heavy metals and organochlorines (DDT and PCB's) on marine mammals. The assessment concludes that sea otters, polar bears, fur seals, and very young seal pups could suffer serious or lethal effects if contact with oil occurred.

The BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and the resulting oilspill in the Gulf of Mexico last year were “foreseeable and preventable,” according to the report of a presidentially appointed commission, issued on 11 January, that recommended significant changes in U.S. government and industry practices to avoid future oilspill disasters. Among the recommendations of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon OilSpill and Offshore Drilling are that Congress and the Obama administration create an independent safety agency within the Department of the Interior (DOI) to oversee all aspects of offshore drilling safety and that the oil and gas industry establish a “safety institute” to develop and enforce safety standards.

As part of a comprehensive water-quality assessment program performed in Prince William Sound and the western Gulf of Alaska following the Exxon Valdez oilspill of March 24, 1989, water samples were collected from 417 locations, most of them in areas through which the oil drifted, to assess the distribution and concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons in the water column. Over 5,000 water samples were analyzed for individual and total petroleum alkanes and for aromatic hydrocarbons by very sensitive gas chromatographic techniques. A total of 2,461 of these samples were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Concurrent with some of these samples, an additional 123 water samples were collected in April 1989 (a week to a month after the spill) at 32 offshore locations and in June 1989 at 7 nearshore sites in Prince William Sound to determine the toxicity of the water to representative species of marine organisms. The toxicity of Prince William Sound water was assessed with standard Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and American Society for Testing and materials (ASTM) marine toxicity tests with representative species of three taxonomic groups: (1) Skeletonema costatum (a marine diatom), (2) Mysidopsis bahia (a crustacean), and (3) larval/juvenile Cyprinodon variegatus (a fish, the sheepshead minnow). 58 refs., 11 figs., 3 tabs.

... Deepwater Horizon OilSpill; Draft Programmatic and Phase III Early Restoration Plan and Draft Early... as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oilspill. The restoration alternatives are comprised of early... the Framework for Early Restoration Addressing Injuries Resulting from the Deepwater Horizon Oil...